This year marks the 30th anniversary of the crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.
The world was shocked by the footage and images of bloodshed in Beijing on 4 June 1989, as student-led pro-democracy demonstrations were suppressed by the country's military, resulting in a death toll estimated to vary from hundreds to thousands.
Many demonstrators and democratic activists fled overseas following the crackdown.
Australia was the first country to condemn the Communist authority’s crackdown and offered humanitarian visas to Chinese citizens who wished to start a new life.
The Chinese exiles in Australia remember the Tiananmen Square massacre every year with the country's largest gathering at Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney's inner west. But attendances have been dropping off at this ceremony and at others over time, according to Chin Jin who is the President of Federation for a Democratic China.
“There were 20,000 people attended the first-anniversary commemoration, but now it’s only dozens,” says Mr Jin.
Mr Jin believes a reason for the drop is that the aspirations of democracy inside China have been covered by the country's "dazzling" economic achievements.
Source: Li Gang
He blames the “moral degeneration” inside China as “Chinese today are always upholding wealth”.
He says Chinese overseas students, including those in Australia, have deep connections with China's ruling elite and subsequently ignore the massacre.
“The Chinese students going overseas are either the children of Chinese officials or the second generation of a wealthy family. Their families are always associated with the government, so they don’t care about the massacre and wouldn’t live in the same dream that my generation has been fighting for."
Stanley Xie was one of the leaders of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy. He claims that some of the former pro-democracy activists have now become “dear guests of the Communist Party of China”.
“China’s economy developed rapidly. Some people stay in low key so that they can do business with China”, he says.
The memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre are slowly fading in China and access to the information becomes harder.
Pro-democracy student demonstrators march their way towards Tiananmen Square as they carry the "Goddess of Democracy". Source: Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images
The information about the massacre is heavily censored in the country and remains a political taboo.
Eric* is a Chinese democracy advocate living in Sydney. He was one of the 40,000 Chinese citizens who left family behind to obtain Australia’s humanitarian visa in 1989.
His wife, who remained in China, divorced him one year after Eric arrived in Australia. He also lost custody of their 5-year old son, who still lives in China.
Eric says leaving his family behind in China still troubles him.
For years he shied away from telling his son about the 1989 protests and suppression.
“I didn’t tell my son what happened. I don’t want to tell the gloomy story to such a young kid.”
In mid-2019 however, Eric was interviewed by local media in Australia to reveal his experiences in 1989.
His son was visiting him at that time and witnessed his father’s emotional reaction in front of the camera.
It was the first time his son was informed about his father’s past.
“After the interview, I told him my story from the beginning to the end,” Eric says.
“He understood me and accepted my thoughts.
“He understood that I did not fight for my own interests but the conscience of the human being. It concerned the future of my country and nation.”
But the interview brought trouble to Eric’s son as security agents visited his home in Shanghai.
“After the interview was aired, my daughter-in-law was visited by two uninvited strangers. They claimed themselves as strata personnel and inspected their home. They were strange. My daughter-in-law made few marks at home so if someone breaks in she will know,” Eric says.
“One day after, when my daughter-in-law come home after work, she noticed that someone sneaked into their place. It is an old trick of security agents.
“Getting involved in this [democratic] movement brings me endless suffering.” 
Roger* is a Chinese migrant who arrived in Sydney after the massacre. He says that political repression leads to a lack of knowledge of the protests.
A Chinese man blocks military tanks on Changan Avenue, near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, June 5 1989. Source: SBS
“While in China, people are always obedient to the government and system. No matter what the leaders said, how the system is, no one dares to comment,” Roger says.
“But in Australia, [Tiananmen Square massacre] is in their textbook. When I mentioned it, my son already knows a lot.”
The second generation of the Chinese exiles who live in Australia can access the history of the protests freely.
While some parents allow their children to learn the history from a textbook, others still choose to teach the spirit of the democratic movement in person.
“My child learnt the Tiananmen Massacre from my own words and practice,” Mr Chin says.
“I believe the second generation is getting better acquainted with the fact, and they will awake when the true changes are brought upon China.”
* Not their real names
