Don Tai (Canada) Blog

During the time I spent in Beijing as a student, cozily nestled amongst Chinese students, eating at their same cafeterias and freely visiting their dorms, I did not once see any violent actions. From my personal account, this protest was 100% non-violent, which makes the very violent response from the government all the more terrible.

When students were on campus milling about at Sanjiao Di (3 Corner Place) or other places, reading or putting up posters, discussing, organizing, there was excitement in the air. Students shouting slogans, crowding around certain people, then moving on to crowd around other people. I did not once see anyone fighting. This is surprising in that when I travel in China, there is always some small fight that I witness on the road, with pushing and shoving, and shouting from both parties. I expect this in China.

There are some government social systems that affect society so profoundly that without it we would be much worse off. In Canada, I would recommend our universal healthcare system. China’s hukou system is the mirror opposite, a tool to suppress and control the movements of China’s rural population.