Chai Ling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chai Ling
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| 柴玲 | |
Chai Ling in 2009
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| Born | April 15, 1966 Rizhao, Shandong, China
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| Citizenship | United States People's Republic of China (former) |
| Alma mater | Peking University (BA) Beijing Normal University Princeton University (MLA) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Occupation | President and chief operating officer of Jenzabar |
| Known for | Student leader during Tiananmen square protests |
| Movement | June 4th Movement |
| Spouse(s) |
Feng Congde
(m. 1987; div. 1990)Robert Maginn
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 (with Maginn) |
Chai Ling (born April 15, 1966) is a Chinese activist who became famous as one of the student leaders during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China. She was a key figure in organizing the students who gathered in the square to ask for more freedom.
After the protests, she moved to the United States. She later founded a software company called Jenzabar, which makes software for colleges and universities. She also started an organization called All Girls Allowed, which works to protect the rights of girls in China.
Some of Chai's actions and words during the protests have been seen as controversial. This is mainly because of an interview she gave that was used in a documentary film.
Contents
Early Life in China
Chai Ling was born on April 15, 1966, in a city called Rizhao in China. Her parents were both doctors in the Chinese army. She was the oldest of four children.
In 1983, she started studying at the famous Peking University, where she earned a degree in psychology. In 1987, she met and married another student, Feng Congde. After getting married, Chai began studying at Beijing Normal University to become a child psychologist.
A Leader in the Tiananmen Square Protests
In 1989, thousands of students in China began protesting, calling for more democracy and freedom. These protests were centered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Chai Ling became involved and quickly rose to become one of the most important student leaders.
She was known for her powerful speeches and helped organize a hunger strike to bring more attention to the students' cause. During the hunger strike, students refused to eat to show how serious they were. This made many more people support the protests. On May 15, Chai was chosen as the "commander in chief" of the Hunger Strike Committee.
The student movement had many different leaders and groups, and they did not always agree. Chai was a strong leader but sometimes had conflicts with others about the best way to continue the protests. For example, on May 27, she first voted to have students leave the square, but then changed her mind and argued that they should stay.
Chai wanted to keep the movement "pure," meaning she thought only students should be involved. She was also very determined. Some people believe she was willing to risk a dangerous outcome to make the world pay attention to their fight for freedom.
On the night of June 3, 1989, the Chinese government sent soldiers and tanks to clear Tiananmen Square, ending the protests with violence. After this, the government created a list of the 21 most-wanted student leaders. Chai Ling was number four on this list.
Chai and her husband, Feng, had to go into hiding. They spent the next ten months being hidden and helped by a secret network of people. Eventually, they were smuggled out of China to Hong Kong, and from there they escaped to France.
Life After the Protests
While she was still in hiding, Chai was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for her role in the protests. After escaping China, she was invited to study at Princeton University in the United States.
After graduating from Princeton in 1993, she worked for a business consulting firm. There, she met Robert Maginn, whom she married in 2001. They live in the United States and have three daughters.
In 1998, Chai earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harvard University. That same year, she started her own company, Jenzabar. Jenzabar is a successful company that provides complex software to help universities manage their operations.
In 2009, Chai became a Christian. A year later, she founded a non-profit organization called "All Girls Allowed." The group's goal is to help end China's one-child policy and protect girls' rights in the country.
In 2011, she published her life story in a book called A Heart for Freedom.
Controversy Over a Documentary
A lot of the debate about Chai Ling comes from an interview she gave on May 28, 1989, just before the protests ended. Parts of this interview were shown in a documentary film called The Gate of Heavenly Peace.
In the film, Chai appears to say that she hoped for a violent response from the government.
What we actually are hoping for is bloodshed, the moment when the government is ready to brazenly butcher the people. Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes.
She also said that she did not plan to stay in the square herself because she was on the government's blacklist and wanted to live.
Chai has said that her words were taken out of context and translated poorly. She claims the filmmakers edited the interview to make her look bad. The filmmakers and other experts say the footage is genuine.
This interview has caused a lot of argument for many years. Some people see her as a brave hero who fought for democracy, while others criticize her for the things she said.
Chai and her company, Jenzabar, later sued the non-profit group that made the film. She claimed they had damaged her reputation and misused her company's name online. The courts dismissed all of her lawsuits and ordered her company to pay the filmmakers' legal fees. The judge said the lawsuits were an attempt to "suppress criticism."
See also
In Spanish: Chai Ling para niños
- Women's roles during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
