UCLA Asia Institute
Today in Asian History
June 4
1260
Kublai Khan took over as Mongol ruler, succeeding his brother. He assumed
control over the empire built by Genghis Khan, his grandfather. In 1279 he
defeated the Chinese Song dynasty army and assumed control over all of
China. He established his capital Khanbalik in what is now known as
Beijing. Kublai Khan unsuccessfully sought to extend his rule into Japan and
Southeast Asia. He promoted commercial development and during his reign many
Central Asians, Europeans (including Marco Polo) and others made their way
to China. Kublai Khan died in 1294. Click
here to
see a painting of Kublai Khan. The Encyclopedia
Britannica offers an extensive article on Kublai Khan and his
rule. Compton's
Encyclopedia offers a map showing the late thirteenth century
Mongol Empire. 1928
Japanese troops blew up the train carrying Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin.
Zhang died from his injuries on June 21.Following its defeat of Russia in
the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (fought in Manchuria), Japan carved out
a sphere of influence in northeastern China. Zhang Zuolin became the
dominant Chinese ruler in the region in 1913 and from 1924 also controlled
Beijing and the area around the Chinese capital. His killers were concerned
about Zhang's ambitions and hoped to trigger a formal Japanese seizure of
Manchuria. Click
here to
see a photo of Zhang. The Encyclopedia Brittanica offers short
articles on Zhang
Zuolin and his son, Zhang
Xueliang, and a longer one on Manchuria.
Compton's
Encyclopedia offers a map of China with Manchuria highlighted. 1937
Prince Konoe Fumimaro took over as Japanese prime minister. 1989 Early in the
morning, Chinese People's Liberation Army troops moved into Beijing's
Tiananmen Square. Violent clashes with city people left hundreds, perhaps
thousands dead. The pro-democracy movement was shattered with activists
under arrest, hiding underground, or fleeing the country. Radio Beijing English Service (0400 GMT 11685
MHz): "Please remember June the Third, 1989. The
most tragic event happened in the Chinese Capital, Beijing. Thousands of
people, most of them innocent civilians, were killed by fully-armed
soldiers when they forced their way into city. Among the killed are our
colleagues at Radio Beijing. The soldiers were riding on armored vehicles
and used machine guns against thousands of local residents and students
who tried to block their way. When the army conveys made the breakthrough,
soldiers continued to spray their bullets indiscriminately at crowds in
the street. Eyewitnesses say some armored vehicles even crushed foot
soldiers who hesitated in front of the resisting civilians. [The] Radio
Beijing English Department deeply mourns those who died in the tragic
incident and appeals to all its listeners to join our protest for the
gross violation of human rights and the most barbarous suppression of the
people. "Because of the abnormal situation here in
Beijing there is no other news [of the incident] we could bring you. We
sincerely ask for your understanding and thank you for joining us at this
most tragic moment." The 1995 Richard Gordon/Carma Hinton Gate
of Heavenly Peace documentary on the
Tiananmen incident is remarkably well supported on the web, including
links to a wide variety of primary source selections and biographical
entries on key players in the Beijing Spring tragedy. A joint effort by
Support Democracy in China and Christus Rex et Redemptor Mundi has
produced a large Tiananmen
Square Democracy Movement photo
archive. Many U.S. Government dispatches and other
materials concerning the events in Beijing that spring can be seen at the National
Security Archive website. In fall 2000, The Tiananmen Papers,
English translations of a collection of minutes of top level Chinese
leadership meetings and other materials, received front page attention.
Andrew Nathan, one of the editors of the collection, authored a Foreign
Affairs article discussing the collection and including samples
from it. In January 2001, the Council
on Foreign Relations held a symposium on The Tiananmen Papers. The AI "Today in Asian History" page was compiled by Clayton Dube.
He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send them to <cdube@isop.ucla.edu>. Copyright © 1998-2001 by the UCLA Asia Institute.
Search
the Asia Institute website (including the Today in Asian History pages).
Teaching and Research about Asia
