Museum commemorating Tiananmen Square protests opens in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, June 2 (CNA) A museum commemorating China's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989 opened Monday in Los Angeles, according to museum director Wang Dan (王丹).

"Commemorating June 4th is not just about mourning and denunciation, it's also a continuation," Wang said. "The spirit of '89 is about holding on to hope for social change."

The June 4th Memorial Museum -- marking the day China's People's Liberation Army opened fire on unarmed protesters in central Beijing -- was originally based in New York but was relocated to Los Angeles due to rising rents, Wang said.

The museum director added that the move would help bring this part of Chinese history to people living in the area from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Wang, himself a student leader during the ill-fated movement, was arrested by the Chinese government and imprisoned before moving overseas and earning a doctorate from Harvard University.

In an interview with CNA, Wang said the biggest problem in China nowadays is the younger generation's "disappointment and despair" about their country. He said he hopes to inspire renewed hope for change through the spirit of the 1989 movement.

Located in El Monte, a city of around 100,000 in eastern Los Angeles County, the June 4th Memorial Museum displays objects and photographs from that time.

One exhibit features a letter written to Wang by Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), a Chinese scholar who later received the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights activism, while Wang was imprisoned at age 21.

Wang said the museum will not be a static space, but a "vibrant cultural space," hosting concerts, lectures, film screenings and community events promoting cultural and intellectual exchange.

The museum also plans to invite local American high schools to visit and learn about China and what happened in 1989, he said.