People to People Student Ambassadors Mini Essay 3

Prompt: Describe an individual in history that had a tremendous impact on the region of one
country youll visit on your program. What did this person accomplish, and what long-term
effects and short-term effects did he/she have on the people, geography, economy, and/or
government of the area?
Hu Yaobang, who started off as a man from a poor peasant home later became CPCs
Party Chairman from 1981 to 1982 and then later as a Secretary for the part from 1982 1987.
He later joined the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s and was under his comrade Deng
Xiaoping. When Mao Zedong (Deng Xiaopings processor) died, Deng Xiaoping rose to power
and assigned Hu Yaobang to high political positions. Through the 1980s Hu Yaobang passed a
series of economic and political reforms. However, the Party elders did not like his idea of
having free market reforms, claiming that such reforms will make China more transparent.
Then, when widespread student protests occurred across China in 1987, Hu Yaobangs
opponents blamed him for the disruptions and claimed that his ideology of bourgeois
liberalization led to the protests and worsened them in the process. Later Hu Yaobang was
forced to resign as the Partys general secretary. Then on April 15, 1989, Hu Yaobang passed
away with a sudden heart attack. Upon his death, a small scale demonstration occurred that
demanded the government to reassess Hu Yaobangs legacy. A week before his funeral, around
100,000 students marched on Tiananmen Square leading to the protests of 1989, possibly
influenced by his ideologies and former policies and reforms.
Tiananmen Square is located in the heart of Beijing. The protests of 1989 led to around
2,600 deaths and over 10,000 injuries. That was also the day that people were ran over by
military tanks. It was also the day when the blood of the people of China ran through the
Square in streams and small rivers. Every day, the Square is a reminder of the Chinese
government enforcing cruel martial laws that day to control the crowds of protesters. June 4
(the day when these martial laws were executed) will forever be the day that people of China
will remember. This was the event that sparked censorship in China which is a huge part of how
China is the way it is today. For example, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all banned in
China. With Hu Yaobangs legacy and lack of care of the government, a memorable event in
Chinas history happened that will forever shape Beijing.

[Word Count: 372]