75 year-old Retired Professor beaten up during Qingming

by Suranee | April 7, 2009 at 06:40 am

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Saturday was the day that the festival Qingming is celebrated in China. Qingming is a festival held every year when the Chinese traditionally honor the dead.

A retired university professor, Sun Wenguang, was brutally attacked by a group of men when he went to the cemetery to honor Zhao Ziyang, a former Communist party primie minister and general secretary who died in 2005.

Last Saturday was tomb-sweeping day, when the Chinese traditionally honor the dead. Sun Wenguang, a 75-year-old retired university professor, was one of many to visit the cemetery.

The 75 year-old retired professor was attacked by five unidentified men who threw him down a two-meter drop and beat him for ten minutes breaking three of his ribs. It is also reported that he is unable to turn his head.

In the early morning of Qing Ming, the traditional day of remembering and honoring the dead, Sun defied university authorities to make the trip to Yingxiong Mountain (英雄山) in Jinan, Shandong Province. The police sent nine vehicles to follow Sun’s taxi. He was attacked at around 10:00 a.m. The attackers threw him down a two-meter drop and then beat him for over ten minutes, breaking three of his ribs. He was brought to Jinan’s Qilu Hospital (齐鲁医院). At present he is unable to turn his head but is conscious and reportedly in stable condition.

Last year the Professor did not go to honor Zhao because public security officials threatened Sun's wife about the "consequences" if he commemorated Zhao's death during Qingming. But this year the Professor never expected to be attacked and beaten in broad daylight.

He says the reason he was attacked may be because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the military's crackdown on the Tiananmen demonstrators.

Sun said he had visited the memorial before with no repercussions. Last year, Sun said he did not make it because public security officials threatened Sun's wife about the "consequences" if he commemorated Zhao's death during Qingming.

He said he was beaten up Saturday possibly because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the military's crackdown on the Tiananmen demonstrators.

"I never expected them to beat me in broad daylight," Sun said in a weak voice, adding that he could not move his body.