SHANGHAI MUST NOT DESCEND INTO CHAOS1
JUNE 8, 1989
People of Shanghai and colleagues, over the past few days, we have all personally seen how the city has been brought to the brink. Since June 4, traffic all over Shanghai has been obstructed, workers have been unable to get to work, and production has declined; materials are in ample supply but because they cannot be transported to retail locations, daily life is being adversely affected; pedestrians do not feel safe on the streets; several students might block a bus and slash its tires, and if anyone tries to stop them, idle bystanders surround that person and make a scene. Because of the traffic blockages, some hospitals have no plasma and no oxygen for the severely ill; in some places, bodies of the deceased cannot be taken away even after they start to decay, nor can garbage and excrement be removed. We are at a point where buses, police cars, and motorcycles are being overturned and set on fire, and policemen are being beaten while on duty.
As mayor, I feel profoundly uneasy and deeply troubled because for the past few days, I have been unable to firmly enforce the law and protect the normal lives of our people. Many people have written or called me, asking, “Where has the city government gone?” I very much understand how they feel and am open to self-criticism here.
From the night before last until early morning yesterday, a serious disturbance occurred at the rail crossing at Guangxin Road, the likes of which has not been seen in Shanghai in years. As many as 10,000 people surrounded the train and someone set fire to the postal carriage. The locomotive next to it contained 3,000 liters of diesel fuel: if an explosion had ensued, it would have spread to the nearby sulfuric acid and petrochemical plants. The consequences would have been unthinkable, and who knows how many people might have died. At the time, we sent out responsible cadres from many levels, a deputy head of the public security bureau, over 500 armed police, over 80 railroad police, and 9 fire trucks, but they were unable to approach the scene. Many police were beaten and the hoses of the fire trucks were pulled out. I was extremely anxious then: if there was an explosion, the casualties would have been horrific and massive chaos might have erupted in Shanghai. In the face of the developments over these few days, I was on edge with worry and couldn’t eat or sleep in peace.
The five days from June 4 until today have been a test for us, the people of Shanghai. I want to thank them all, especially the city’s workers, for their response. Under these complex and difficult conditions, you remained steadfast at your posts and continued with production. When public buses were unable to travel their routes, you walked to work until your feet and legs were swollen. Despite the situation, overall work attendance in the city still reached 60–70%, so there were basically no work stoppages at Shanghai’s factories. The employees of the finance and trade departments and our colleagues at grain stores and vegetable markets used every means possible to ensure markets would still have supplies. Our Shanghai working class is a great one!
I also want to thank the public security police and the armed police. You have remained steadfast at your posts these past few days, and despite being beaten and cursed at, you remained very restrained and did your best to maintain order. We asked you to put up with all this for the time being for the sake of the big picture. You were often treated unfairly, you were beaten by bad elements, and you felt very aggravated. To you, I express solicitude and greetings!
I also want to thank the leaders, Party organizations, and teachers of our schools. Under very difficult conditions, you considered the big picture and did a great deal to dissuade students from further action; you even helped clear roadblocks, and you truly lived up to your role as teachers. At one university, two graduate students accompanied by a few others took over the radio station wanting to broadcast rumors from abroad. A veteran professor who was their adviser stepped up, reasoned with the graduate students, and persuaded them to draw back. They ultimately handed the radio station back to the university. I feel this exemplified the spirit of China’s teachers!
Why did the government not take strong legal measures when faced with such a serious situation? It wasn’t because we didn’t have the power. It was because a feature of the current situation is that some highly agitated students are involved. With rumors fanning the flames, some students have become rather irrational, while lowlifes have also emerged and mixed with them, making it hard to distinguish good people from bad. If we were to take strong measures at a time like this, it’s very possible that good people might be hurt, and the public might not understand why. We must therefore mobilize people and organize them so that our thinking is aligned, we have a common understanding, and the entire city is united as one. Then our public security police and our armed police will be able to carry out their mission effectively.
Many people have urged me to send in the armed police or even the army. As mayor, I solemnly state:
—First, the Municipal Party Committee and government have never considered using the army or enforcing martial law or a curfew.
—Second, we believe that 99.9% of the people of Shanghai will rally around the slogan “Keep Shanghai stable, keep the overall situation stable, continue production, and ensure livelihoods,” and they will stand on the side of the Party and government.
—Third, Shanghai is the city with the highest concentration of industries in China and the strongest working class, with 5.08 million employees of whom 2.3 million work in manufacturing. If they organize, support us, and help us, our public security police and armed police will be entirely capable of maintaining law and order in Shanghai.
Events of the last three days have already amply demonstrated this capability. During these three days, each district organized workers and cadres to assist the city government in clearing roadblocks at night. About 6,500 people came the first day, 36,000 the second day, and over 20,000 yesterday. Almost all roadblocks were cleared within an hour or two. This ensured that daily necessities and industrial raw materials could reach the people. Colleagues, if it hadn’t been for the rush shipments of these three days, we would have run out of grain long ago, and vegetables would not be nearly so abundant! I thank the workers, the public transit workers, and our farming brethren—you have made a contribution to safeguarding the lives of the people of Shanghai!
Some might say, roadblocks have often reappeared after being cleared, so streets remain obstructed during the daytime. Why haven’t you been able to maintain the free flow of traffic? This is because for the first three days, we hadn’t sufficiently organized our forces; we still needed time to mobilize the people and organize them. The worker patrols organized by the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, which previously contributed greatly to protecting factories and maintaining order, are now taking action. After three days of preparation, each district has a force of 10,000 to 20,000, and the city’s 32 core enterprises have organized a mobile force of several tens of thousands. I feel there is no need to keep this confidential because worker patrols are legitimate organizations. The city government supports their actions, and their activities in maintaining traffic are for a just cause. Beginning after my talk today, they are going to take action, clear roadblocks, and maintain traffic flow on all the city’s streets. I hope all of our city’s people will support and assist them in their work and not obstruct them. If anyone obstructs them, you should dissuade them. If lawbreakers engage in any impermissible actions, our public security police and armed police should take legal measures. I hope all our people understand this action and support it.
Our stores must have joint security, and neighborhoods should also strengthen security. Even as they continue with production, factory workers should resolutely protect their factories from attacks, and they should also assign manpower to maintain the flow of traffic. There are 2.3 million manufacturing workers in Shanghai. If 10% are assigned to traffic duties, that’s 230,000 people. Work attendance now is only 60–70%. With 10% on traffic duty, over 90% will be able to get to work normally, which would allow us to better support production.
Visiting worker patrol teams on the evening of June 9, 1989, accompanied by Zhao Qizheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and director of its organization department; Yang Zhifan, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and political commissar of the Shanghai Garrison; and Wu Bangguo, deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee.
I want to issue a warning to lowlifes and lawbreakers: don’t misjudge the situation and don’t think there’s going to be regime change. The 12.6 million people of Shanghai can no longer keep tolerating your lawless behavior. Among those lawbreakers at Guangxin Road who set fire to the train, beat public security police, and created a serious disturbance, there are quite a few who had served time in prison but had not truly reformed. We already have incontrovertible evidence and will arrest them, publicly try them, and severely, strictly, and swiftly punish them in accordance with the law.
I also want to repeat a frank warning to some students. Your actions are moving in a direction that is contrary to your hopes; you have now come to the brink and should be alert to whether or not you are taking the side of some lowlifes. You are highly emotional at this point so it is impossible to discuss issues with you now, but I will have a dialogue with you later. You are too ready to believe in rumors. The air is filled with rumors from abroad, and the streets are full of them. This is a form of psychological warfare intended to confuse people’s thinking. What recently took place in Beijing is a historical fact. Nobody can conceal historical facts, and the truth will eventually emerge. Why would you now believe those rumors?
What we need now is to calm down, to discuss whether or not we should keep Shanghai stable, whether or not we should keep the overall situation stable, whether or not we should ensure our livelihoods. In short, what would we do if Shanghai were to descend into chaos? We should first align our thinking on this question. You should recognize that the sabotage plotted by a very few people would push the people of Shanghai beyond the point of no return—it would render us unable to produce and unable to live. They want to disrupt Shanghai; to destroy Shanghai; to destroy our People’s Republic; to create a catastrophe, a disaster; to use the fate of the people of Shanghai as their political ante. If you continue like this, there may be serious consequences that are beyond your control, and this is something that you yourselves would not wish to see.
Of course we have also seen some good signs over the past few days. Because the truth is gradually becoming clearer, many things have been proven to be rumors. Quite a few students are becoming aware—they are no longer participating in those roadblocking activities that endanger order, and they don’t much believe those suggestions of so-called wise men—I think this is very good. Some student leaders are also showing signs of restraint, which I welcome.
Students, I hope you will accept this set of couplets from me. The first couplet says, “Keep Shanghai stable, keep the overall situation stable,” and the second says, “Continue with production, ensure livelihoods.” The accompanying horizontal banner states, “Shanghai must not descend into chaos.” We want to restore law. Aren’t you saying you want law? Without law, how can there be democracy? And how can there be individual freedoms? I hope you will listen to my words, which come from the heart.
People of Shanghai, I’m very much in favor of the suggestion by the “three papers and two stations”2 that we start a discussion on the question “If Shanghai is not to descend into chaos, what should we do?” I hope each of you will give it serious thought and come up with your own answers. Each person bears responsibility for the rise and fall of a country; our fates are tied to the stability of Shanghai, and we should start with ourselves in upholding the law.
People of Shanghai, I am your legally elected mayor, and my election was approved by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. I thank you for the trust and support you have given me over the past year and more. I will do my very best and continue working according to the wishes of the vast majority of you. Although my work is far from perfect, I am truly resolved to dedicate myself to the great task of revitalizing Shanghai and revitalizing China. At this dangerous time, I will not hesitate to risk my life to realize the goal of keeping Shanghai stable, keeping the overall situation stable, upholding the law, and protecting the people. At this critical time, I hope you will support us and trust us, that you will believe in our Party and our government.
Thank you!
1. This is an address Zhu Rongji televised to the people of Shanghai.
2. The “three papers and two stations” were Liberation Daily, Wenhuibao, Xinmin Evening News, Shanghai People’s Radio, and Shanghai TV.