The repercussions and the soul-searching following the student movement in 1989 have generated a series of accusations, recriminations and supposed conclusions.

But the greatest conceit of all is the appeal to ignore and to forget.

It has been too long, its adherents argue, and China has come too far. Why dig up the unsavory past?

To willfully forget is a form of dishonesty; a disservice to every generation's duty to the historical record. To ignore the past is to condone the perpetuation of inaccuracies and outright falsehoods, from whence they come.

Open Past does not seek to apportion blame and assign responsibilities in the tragedy that was the June Fourth Movement. Instead, its focus rests solely on the collection, organisation and presentation of a historical record, all the while being conscious of the many limitations inherent in such an undertaking. While a sizable volume of published works have been devoted to the events preceding, and following, June 4th, 1989, most of the official records remain spotty and incomplete, as they could only be gathered piecemeal, largely through revisiting archived reports by state media organs.

Very rarely can any historical record be completely immune from controversy and criticisms of bias; still more rarely can this be achieved in events as polarising as the 1989 student movement. What Open Past offers can only be a beginning of an imperfect, incomplete record for the public domain. In time, the website will expand its scope to include the many other articles, journals and books dedicated to the subject, and with hope, one day, to incorporate a fair accounting of the events by the Chinese government.

With knowledge, reflection, and thoughtful debate, we hope this small contribution may help see to a fair and comprehensive appraisal of the June Fourth Movement, and an open dialogue, inside and outside of the Chinese mainland.

Open Past is created by William Ngan and Jane Ngan, siblings who grew up in Hong Kong during the June Fourth Movement.

Minna Ho is the translator for the Chinese version of Open Past. Addie Lam is translator and photo editor.

Open Past thanks other dedicated volunteers who donated their time to help spot mistakes and offer valuable suggestions.

PLease contact us by email. Our email address is