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Testimony of Sun Chengkang and Yu Qing, parents of Sun Hui

January 31, 1999

Sun Hui, male, born in Shizuishan City, Ningxia, in 1970. He was 19 when he was killed. Before his death, he was a student in Class 4, Year 1988 of Department of Chemistry, Beijing University. He was killed around 8:00 a.m., June 4, 1989. His ashes are currently kept at home in Shizuishan City.


Testimony of Sun Chengkang and Yu Qing, parents of Sun Hui:


Around 8:00 a.m. on June 4, 1989, Sun Hui went out on his bike to look for several classmates (including his class monitor) who had left Tiananmen Square at dawn that day but had not yet returned to school. He was shot near Fuxing Gate. The bullet went in under his left arm, ran through his heart, and came out under his right arm. He collapsed on the street, with all his clothes reddened by the blood. "Beijing University" was printed on his tank top, clear and bright. (One of his professors said later that if he had not worn that outfit, he might have survived the massacre.) Some people then took his body to Beijing Children's Hospital. The hospital, judging from his clothes, telephoned the university, and sent the body to the campus. By then, the students at Beijing University were outraged. Students demanded a march carrying the body. The university authorities were very scared, immediately ordered all classes to stop and sent the students home for vacation. When we arrived at Beijing University one week later, we found the body covered with bloody stains. It was too horrible to see.



Sun Hui's body was cremated at Babaoshan. Several leaders from Department of Chemistry, his professors and classmates who had stayed in Beijing attended the service. At first, we wanted to bring his ashes back home. But the university authorities persuaded us to keep the ashes temporarily at Babaoshan, considering the tense situation in Beijing at that time. Three years later, we took Sun Hui's ashes back to Ningxia. Now they are still kept at home.



Sun Hui was a very diligent child, fond of learning. From grade school to high school, he was always the best student, a "three-excellents" student. He was very open, warm-hearted, kind to his classmates and filial to his parents. In his hometown, he respected the old and loved the young. He was regarded a good child by all. When the terrible news reached his hometown, relatives, neighbors, classmates and many sympathizers lined up outside of our home to mourn him. Everyone regretted his early death in his best years. Sun Hui's death ruined the happiness of our entire family. He was the pride of the family, our hope and future. But now, nothing is left. Only a heap of bones remain.



His mother was too grieved to live. Her eyes were blind from crying. Her hair all turned white. Her heart problems were more and more serious. She was afraid to watch television, afraid to hear gun shots on the television. She aged so quickly people did not recognize her. It has been ten years! She can not forget her beloved son. Often times, her face is still washed with tears. She has had to spend a lot of time in hospital. The family is always short of money, having spent a lot on medical care.



Sun Hui's grandmother was stricken heavily with the loss of her beloved grandson. She became seriously ill and never recovered, and finally died as a result of her grief. In less than a year, my family lost two members. Although I am a strong-willed man and do not shed tears easily, in less than a year, I lost all my teeth. From then on, the atmosphere in this family was no longer happy.



Since Sun Hui was killed, the authorities have strictly limited our movements. I have been prevented from making business trips. If we want to go out of town, we have to get advance approval from the security department. Our every word and every action have been under the scrutiny of the neighborhood committee. Sun Hui's older sister graduated from college in the second year after his death. The authorities only allowed her to work in her hometown. She was not allowed to work in the government, not to be promoted, not to switch jobs. Finally, there was nothing left to do but resign.



In 1995, I was forced to retire early. I planned to recuperate at my daughter's home in Zhengzhou. Before we arrived in Zhengzhou, the police station there and the security department at my daughter's workplace had already arranged personnel to watch us. Since my workplace did not make good profits, pensions often are not disbursed on time. My wife had to take medicine and injections everyday. I had to rent a house to do some small business. But the authorities went so far as to send people to my landlord and told him that we were political criminals. The landlord was too scared to lease us the house any more.



The heartbreak at the loss of my son and the mental pressure make me feel I would be better off dead.



My son was killed by the butcher Li Peng. Now I am old, there is no place for me to live in this world. We are watched everywhere, without any freedom. I want to cry out to the people who still have a conscience to support us in getting justice. The debt of my son's blood must be repaid! The Chinese butcher Li Peng must be punished!



Sun Chengkang and Yu Qing