Fang Zheng

Fang Zheng (born October 14, 1966) is a former student protester who was seriously injured during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. During the evacuation of the Square in the early morning of June 4, Fang was run over by a People’s Liberation Army tank, which led to the amputation of both his legs. He is currently the president of Chinese Democracy Education Foundation.

Early life and education

Fang was born in Hefei City, Anhui. From early childhood, he was a sports enthusiast and was inspired by China’s return to the Olympic Games in 1984 to enroll at Beijing Sport University.

Involvement during the June Fourth Crackdown

Fang had been in Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3 and early hours of June 4 and participated in a sit-in with fellow students at the Monument to the People's Heroes. At that moment, Fang lost consciousness and was brought to Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, where he underwent a double amputation.

Sport competition

Fang, undeterred by his disability and political persecution, continued to pursue his passion of sport. In 1992 Fang represented Beijing at the third All-China Disabled Athletic Games in Guangzhou during which he won two gold medals and broke two records for the Far East and South Pacific region.

Immigration to the United States and Standing-Up Celebration

In August 2008 before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Fang was issued a passport by the Chinese government. Fang, his wife Zhu Jin, and daughter Grace arrived in the United States in February 2009.

By 2009, Fang had been using a wheelchair for twenty years. A few months after his arrival in the United States and with the help of specialists such as Dr. Terrance Sheehan and the donation of prosthetic legs by Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics, Fang was able to walk again.

In 2009, an event was held in Washington, DC to celebrate Fang Zheng’s standing-up. The event was attended by Fang and his family, members of congress, media, and fellow Chinese dissidents including Yang Jianli, Feng Congde and Chai Ling. Chai Ling, a student leader of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, described her experience at the celebration, “When the music went up and Fang started to dance with his wife, tears came to my eyes. I pictured a day when all the survivors of Tiananmen could stand up like Fang Zheng with their loved ones to celebrate life, love, and triumph over adversity.” Yang Jianli, who was also a student leader, described Fang’s story, “In the past 20 years, in his spirit, Fang Zheng has been standing — even without legs… but today he is standing up. It is my sincere hope that we Chinese people will stand up with Fang Zheng." He testified that since the June Fourth crackdown, the government has refused to admit to any wrongdoing, has not taken responsibility for its actions and has been mistreating and persecuting victims in the decades following the massacre. During his trip to Hong Kong, he also visited activists from the Hong Kong Federation of Students who had been participating in a 64-hour hunger strike at Times Square (Hong Kong) in Causeway Bay.