Democracy Wall, Foreign Correspondents, and Deng Xiaoping

This article identifies and explains the role of the Western media in Chinese politics between November 1978 and April 1979, when the rise of Deng Xiaoping within the Communist Party coincided with the emergence of the Democracy Wall free speech movement on China’s streets, and the normalization of Sino-American relations. At this critical juncture in twentieth-century history, foreign journalists in Beijing were much more than simply gatekeepers of a conduit to the outside world. Chinese activists believed that, through the Western media, they could reach domestic audiences in China, and potentially even the Party leadership. Indeed, foreign reporting contributed to the movement’s spread to other parts of the country, while strengthening and accentuating its most radical aspects. However, the main beneficiary of these interactions was Deng, who enlisted Democracy Wall and the foreign media, at times in conjunction, to advance his domestic and international objectives. Once he had secured control of the Party’s political direction, and the normalization of Sino-American relations, the foreign press provided the rationale, if not the impetus, for the movement’s suppression. Drawing on participant interviews, new Chinese sources, and analysis of press archives, this article brings important new insights into the momentous political events that set in motion the ongoing transformation of China and the region. It also illuminates the little-studied role of international media in producing “radical flank effects” that can help or hinder both social movements and state authorities. The case stands as a cautionary example for social activists attempting to harness the power of international media today.

西单民主墙运动、外国记者及邓小平的崛起

关键词： 民主墙，西方媒体，邓小平，三中全会，国际媒体效应，激进边翼效应，社会运动。

本文阐明并解释了1978年11月到1979年4月期间西方媒体在中国政治中起到的作用，这段时间适逢邓小平在党内的崛起，与此同时，西单民主墙言论自由运动在中国蓬勃兴起，而中美关系也在实现正常化。在二十世纪历史的这个关键节点上，北京的外国记者扮演的角色比仅仅作为连接外部世界的桥梁的守门人复杂得多。一些中国的政治活跃份子坚信，通过西方媒体，可以让国内的听众、甚至党的领导层听到他们的声音。外国记者的报道的确有助于民主墙运动扩散到全国各地，同时加强并突出了运动的激进的方面。然而，民主墙运动与外国媒体之间的互动的最主要的受益人却是邓小平，他利用了两者来推进他的国内和国际政治目标。一旦他确保对党的政治方向的控制以及中美关系的正常化，外国媒体就成为他镇压民主墙运动的借口，甚至是镇压决定的推动力之一。利用参与者访谈、中国方面的新资料以及对新闻档案的分析，本文为理解推动了中国和亚太地区仍在进行中的转型的重大政治事件提供新的洞见。本文还揭示出很少被研究的，国际媒体在制造能够推进或是阻碍社会运动和国家权威的“激进边翼效应”中起到的作用。本案例也可以对今天试图利用国际媒体力量的社会运动家提供参考。

Translated from English by Li Guo