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Guardian of the Capital

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Guardian of the Capital
首都卫士
Guardian of the Capital Medal
TypeMilitary awards and decorations
Country People's Republic of China
EligibilitySoldiers of the People's Liberation Army's capital martial law troops
Established20 May 1989

The Guardian of the Capital is a set of commemorative medals and commemorative albums awarded by the People's Liberation Army to officers and soldiers of the capital's martial law troops during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

History

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After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Central Military Commission and the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army decided to award the Guardian of the Capital commemorative medal and commemorative album to all officers and soldiers of the Capital Martial Law Troops. At the same time, Chairman of the Central Military Commission Deng Xiaoping also wrote the inscriptions Guardian of the Republic and Guardians of the Capital for the Capital Martial Law Troops.[1] On August 1, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers of a certain unit of the Capital Martial Law Troops lined up in Tiananmen Square to hold a ceremony to award the Guardian of the Capital commemorative medal.[2]

As the government of the People's Republic of China now prohibits any discussion of the 1989 protests, the Guardian of the Capital medal has also become a forbidden topic. On March 18, 2024, the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force released a short video on Bilibili, in which a female soldier showed off the Guardian of the Capital medal her father received after participating in a mission related to the 1989 protests. This sparked public discussion, and the Rocket Force officials quickly deleted the video.[3][4] On December 7, 2024, a treasure appraisal anchor named Wang Yuegang showed a medal with the words Guardian of the Capital in his latest treasure appraisal live video. However, shortly after the medal appeared on the screen, Wang Yuegang's live broadcast room was immediately blocked.[5]

Description

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According to the People's Daily, the Guardian of the Capital commemorative medal is made of gold-plated copper and is divided into a main medal and a minor medal. The Guardian of the Capital commemorative album is a hardcover 25-mo edition with an inscription by Deng Xiaoping printed on the cover. The album contains excerpts from Deng Xiaoping's speech when he met with the capital's martial law troops, the Guardian of the Capital commemorative medal pattern, a map of the People's Republic of China, and a world map.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "邓小平为首都戒严部队题词 军委和总政决定为官兵颁发"首都卫士"纪念章 同时颁发纪念册并编辑出版《共和国卫士》一书" [Deng Xiaoping wrote an inscription for the capital's martial law troops. The Military Commission and the General Political Department decided to award the officers and soldiers with the "Capital Guardian" commemorative medal. At the same time, a commemorative album was issued and the book "Guardians of the Republic" was edited and published.]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1989-07-28. p. 第1版. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  2. ^ 陈辉（新华社） (1989-08-01). "首都戒严部队颁发"首都卫士"纪念章" [The Capital Martial Law Troops Awarded the "Capital Guardian" Commemorative Medal]. People's Daily (in Chinese). p. 第4版. Archived from the original on 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  3. ^ 鍾錦隆 (2024-03-19). "中國火箭軍發布六四「首都衛士」影片 網罵急下架" [China's Rocket Force releases June 4 "Capital Guards" video; netizens criticize and remove it]. Radio Taiwan International (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  4. ^ "女兵曬父「鎮壓六四」勛章後共軍急刪片 評論：真相不因洗腦消逝" [The PLA quickly deleted the video after a female soldier posted a photo of her father's medal for "suppressing June 4th" Comment: The truth will not disappear due to brainwashing]. Radio Free Asia (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  5. ^ "這麼怕？ 中國鑑寶主播秀出「鎮壓六四勳章」 直播間秒被封殺" [So scared? A Chinese treasure appraiser showed off his "June 4th Suppression Medal" and his live broadcast room was blocked in seconds]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
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