Faces from ’89: Where Are They Now?

FANG LIZHI
Astrophysicist Fang, an inspiration to the students, sought refuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing during the crackdown. A year later he and his wife were permitted to leave China for England. Since 1992 he has taught physics at the University of Arizona. ZHAO ZIYANG
General Secretary of the Communist Party, Zhao was a student sympathizer and reformist. He has been under informal house arrest since the massacre. Last year he publicly released a letter asking government leaders to declare Tiananmen a terrible mistake.

BAO TONG
A top aide to Zhao, Bao was arrested and imprisoned days before the crackdown. He was released in May 1998. This March he too sent a passionate letter to China’s leaders, urging them to reassess Tiananmen and call the suppression of the student demonstrators wrong.

WANG DAN
A history student at Peking University, Wang was one of the protest’s organizers. He served almost seven years in prison and was released in April 1998–two months before President Bill Clinton’s visit–for medical reasons. He is now a student at Harvard.

CHAI LING
A psychology student and a leader in the movement, she fled to France. Now living in the U.S., head of her own Internet company, Jenzabar.com, she says, This year I feel at peace, I have a sense of joy to see how our Tiananmen generation was able to overcome tragedy.

WUER KAIXI
One of the most charismatic student leaders, Wuer Kaixi became known for his televised exchange with then Premier Li Peng. He escaped to France and later studied at Harvard. He was granted permanent residence by Taiwan, where he has worked as a talk-show host.