TIANANMEN SQUARE

The deep history and regal presence of Tiananmen Square are a lot to take in. The large portrait of Chairman Mao serves as a reminder that big brother is looming everywhere.

As you look around at the thousands of Chinese citizens visiting their government’s shrine, you more fully understand the magnitude of censorship occurring and wonder what fraction of them even know of the massacres that occurred here June 4, 1989. The government goes to great lengths to block any online reference to the incident. Savvy Chinese “netizens” are constantly adapting their terminology and codes to remain undetected. Terms referring to the massacre, such as “64” and “May 35,” have even been blocked by the state-run search engine.

You snap a selfie with Mao in the background, but are disappointed that you can’t share it instantly with friends on Twitter and Facebook, which are also blocked.

As you approach the Monument of the People’s Heroes, a young woman walks up to you with a peppery look in her eye and soft smirk on her face. She hands you a leaflet and transparency then silently walks away.

Upon further inspection you notice that the Chinese characters for “clan king” and “eye field” are a different color than the rest.

The translation doesn’t make much sense to you. Then you remember hearing that rebels frequently swapped out forbidden Chinese characters with similar nonsense characters to get away with publishing mutinous propaganda. To earn your next brush stroke, discover the hidden message that rebels intended you to see.