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RED CHINA
The killing in 1989 of students in Tiananmen Square by the Chinese Communist Government, shocked the world.
Students deserve a lot of credit for standing up for Freedom.
In 1989 the rigid rulers responded by killing students.
Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.
HONG KONG
A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014.
China’s Clampdown on Hong Kong
Despite mass protests and China’s promises when it took back Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, Beijing’s new security law is crushing the former colony’s autonomy.
In writing the song RED CHINA in 1989, I had the idea of a boy in the USA being a pen pal with a young girl in China. The innocence of 2 kids wanting to meet one day when freedom came.
It wasn’t a full on protest song - but more a call to freedom - no more blood in Red China on Tiananmen Square!
The song “Red China”was more a play on Red being the colour of blood. For many years, during the cultural revolution, the country was known in the west as Red China.
Today the threat of full on force still looms ominously as recently seen in Hong Kong by the hardliners of China.
VIDEO - release January 2021
In January of 2021 I discovered Arthur Kent.
Arthur was a young journalist visiting China in 1989 who filmed the massacre. "June 4, or 六四, was one hell of an experience. The adrenaline rush lasted a good few days, but those sights have been right here, right before my mind’s eye, ever since. When I saw those kids in Hong Kong taking to the streets to try to save their own incomparable homeland, I couldn’t resist being there. After 30 years, I could still outrun the Heat".
Arthur went on to say, "By the way, I like the Deng Xiaoping reference — that came naturally since you wrote and recorded the song in ’89, right? Anyway as you know, Deng remained paramount leader until his death in ’92.
There was pretty credible information that before he died, his daughters tried to get him to express regret for giving the green light to party hardliners, led by Li Peng, who carried out the Tiananmen massacre. He refused, a failing that enabled Xi Jinping’s defence minister to double down, last year, by stating the PLA’s actions in the square on June 4 were “correct” and necessary".
As we’re going to be saying at Skyreporter this June, 2021: “32 Years And Still Burning”.
www.skyreporter.com
TonyB: Church Organ, Bass
Victor Chambray: Vocal
Kenny Geatros: Guitar
Andy Newmark: Drums
Ian Marshall: Engineer
Alan Silverman: Mastering (NY City)
Recorded at Bermuda Sound
RED CHINA
Music & Lyrics: Tony Brannon
Sends me letters stamped Beijing Red China, from many miles across the sea
Tells me stories of old men in China, rigid rulers sipping Chinese tea
Deng Xiaoping won’t change what’s inside her, she just waits all so patiently
Times will change for the people in China, freedoms coming just wait and see
No more blood in Red China, on Tiananmen Square
Goddess of freedom, shines on right there
No more blood in Red China, suns rising and free
Students of freedom sail through stormy seas
Send her letters stamped New York to China, I want to go and see her someday
I’m just waiting for freedom in China, then I’ll go to see her OK?
Don’t want no more blood in Red China, Don’t want no more blood blood blood
Don’t want no more blood in Red China, Don’t want no more blood blood blood
Sends me letters stamped Beijing Red China, from many miles across the sea
Send her letters stamped New York to China, I want to go and see her someday
CHORUS
- Genre
- Rock