TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY EVENT
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY EVENT Contained within these pages are the confiscated artifacts from a student event that occurred on the Tsinghua University Campus in May of 2018. The purposes of this book are to document and understand the means in which student information is disseminated and spread.
"DEMOCRACY FOR TSINGHUA" LEAFLET Confuscated: May 18, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 165mm x 241mm
Depicting a surgical mask placed over an unidentified face, the "Democracy for Tsinghua" leaflet represented the students' demands for greater freedom of speech and looser censorship of dissenting opinions. The small leaflets could be plastered on walls or quickly crumpled up and thrown away to avoid detection, although some students were known to plant the leaflets in the unsuspecting parade crowds.
YELLOW SURGICAL MASK FLAG Confuscated: May 19, 2018 Property of: Tsinghua Art Preservation (TAP) Dimensions: 177.8mm x 96.5mm
An impractical flag that billowed in strange ways, this surgical mask flag was created by a student as a statement in support of the student cause.
"BEWARE"� LEAFLET Confuscated: May 21, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 165mm x 241mm
One Chinese artist was able to bypass government censors by placing images of big yellow rubber ducks over the tanks that dispersed the Tiananmen Event. The yellow rubber duck became a symbol of protest for the students, but it was also co-opted by the military as a costume for their real tanks.
REVERSIBLE JACKET Confuscated: May 22, 2018 Property of: Tsinghua Preservation Society Dimensions: 489mm x 641mm x 15mm
During the Tiananmen Event, one protesters body was misidentified as a soldiers, and was sent to the hospital and was identified by his parents, rather than being cremated and left unidentified. Students wore reversible military / protest jackets to protect against friendly fire when the conflict escalated. The government caught on.
"THE SIGNAL" LEAFLET Confuscated: May 26, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 165mm x 241mm
Afraid of being caught with phones that had the Virtual Private Network App downloaded, students grafted a remote-controlled wi-fi network to willow trees around the campus. Students could stand within the vicinity of the trees to access illegal and illicit websites.
VPN WILLOW, POLAROID, COLOR Confuscated: May 24, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 88.9mm x 108mm
Later iterations of the VPN Willows had dangling charge cords to allow students to give their phones a temporary power and signal boost. Students could quickly unplug and run away if they were suspected of illicit activity, although the large crowds also masked the identity of the VPN users.
"STRIKE!" LEAFLET Confuscated: May 23, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 165mm x 241mm
The lightning bolt striking the Tsinghua Administration Building was a rally call for a large body of students to swarm the axial plaza of East Zhongguancun Road and grab the attention of the administration and the government.
SMART PHONE APP, POLAROID, COLOR Confuscated: May 26, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 88.9mm x 108mm
Developed rapidly by a group of students at the National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology, the Smart Phone App allowed students to report and track the location of groups who were against their cause, and rally students together at designated meeting locations. This polaroid is the only known evidence of this Apps existence.
BOTTLE OF "SUN 'N DRONE" REPELLENT Confuscated: May 26, 2018 Property of: Wudaokou Historical Society Dimensions: 241mm x 89mm x 50mm
Created in response to the surveillance drones released by the university, this bottle of sunscreen is infused with flecks of metal that reflect and confuse the drones signals, thus masking the Virtual Private Networks utilized by the students.
"DISOBEDIENT OBJECT," BARRICADE Confuscated: May 26, 2018 Property of: Tsinghua Art Preservation (TAP) Dimensions: 3050mm x 2821mm x 2608mm
Several Tsinghua University art students crafted an ironic, "Disobedient" barricade out of large, inflatable rubber ducks. Although the barricade stood no chance against the march of government troops, the humorous barricade was intended to win more students to the cause.
"LIBRARY OF DISSENT" ARTIST'S RENDITION Confuscated: May 26, 2018 Property of: Tsinghua Art Preservation (TAP) Dimensions: 3050mm x 2130mm x 2740mm
No photographs of the "Library of Dissent" exist, although one artist managed to craft a representation of the library prior to its demolition. The library housed books that were deemed illegal by the government.