35th of May

Another year has just passed. Octogenarians Siu Lum and Ah Dai are afflicted with the usual ailments of old age. They await death—a natural occurrence that is a part of life.
But 30 years ago, their son Chit met an unnatural death. Even today, many unanswered questions still surround the incident.

Siu Lum looks forward to being released from those bitter years lost searching for accountability. On the other hand, Ah Dai, who had been cowardly for years, grows all the more impetuous. Decades ago, he avoided such conflicts, concerned only about preparing for their future. With his spouse now staring death in the face, what is left to fear?

The two set an ambitious goal: On May 35th, they’ll hold a proper grave site ritual for their son.

A normal activity that takes place in broad daylight in an abnormal country is still against the law.

“Let’s challenge this abnormal bottom line,” said Ah Dai.

“Spouse, finally, I believe you love me,” Siu Lum replied.

It’s a date: to commemorate May 35th openly, in broad daylight.

A dedication to all victims in the June Fourth Massacre in Tiananmen Square 1989, their families, the exiled, the imprisoned, the journalists, the rescuers, the donors…

Producer’s Notes on the 30th Anniversary Performance – Lit Ming Wai

To all parents and to all children
If you have a ten-year old child, completely untamed and innocent, with eyes so full of beauty. And yet, you know full well that once the unjust regime catches eye on the youth, they will be trampled on ruthlessly by the system, and their freedom will be snatched away. Would you, still, wish your child to be able to tell right from wrong, and to take risks in pursuit of the truth?

Now imagine that you were the one who died 30 years ago. Looking down from heaven, you found that your parents are still under the regime’s surveillance, and are forced to live in a world of lies. Will you, then, urge your grey-haired parents to forgive and forget, or would you rather that they remain steadfast in their faith for justice?

Do you have an absolute answer?


Playwright’s Notes on the 30th Anniversary Performance - Candance Chong

If we reduce ‘men’ to numbers, their past, their connections, their traces on earth will no longer interest us. We will no longer remember that, like us, they too had senses, dreams, love, and someone whom they will always remember.

Remember, always.
I sat there among the family of victims in the June Fourth Massacre, looking earnestly into their eyes. It’s been 30 years now. What ought to be said should have gone down to the records. But I still hoped that, somehow, their eyes could reveal what’s not down in the records, undocumented. And yes, the warmth of human touch did work its way through; remembrance is contagious. I gathered far more than what I needed for the screenplay.

Then sitting among the exiled, right in front of me were characters well-dressed in western attire, all fashionable, but when they spoke, they spoke in such strong Northern accent. With the accompaniment of foreign pop music, they recalled the anguish and indignation in their devastated run for refuge, that unreachable homeland, and their irreparable regret.

And for the few Hong Kong journalists, the stare of history has seared a permanent mark deep in their hearts. Sometimes, the burden of bearing eyewitness to history can weigh you down, especially when you watch your old comrades, who survived that traumatic night with bravery and righteous indignation, now embrace what they used to detest in a magnificent turn. They abandon professional ethics and forsake their conscience to swear black is white, and hold a candle for the devil.

How many destinies were rewritten in one night? How much has faded away and how much remains in constant remembrance over 30 years?

Tyranny reduces human lives to figures, then it’s easy to govern, easy to imprison, and so easy to kill, and at last, these lives vanished without a trace. We do not approve of tyranny; we care about people. So, we remember. So, despite our smallness, we grow stronger as one, to keep those who did live in our lasting remembrance.

"A stunning play, elegantly performed, that will move you from the mundane to the sublime in under two hours." -- Perry Link, Chancellorial Chair for Teaching Across Disciplines, University of California, Riverside, the editor of The Tiananmen Papers

"The image is powerful enough to survive the subsequent as-if-it-never-happened that is perpetuated by those in power today. " -- Bruce Long, Executive Director, CITA, Theatre Producer

“35th of May" brilliantly tackles the most essential, heart-wrenching part of the aftermath of June Fourth: the stories of survivors who struggle to keep the memories of their loved ones alive." -- Jeremy Brown, Simon Fraser University, author of June Fourth: The Tiananmen Protests and Beijing Massare of 1989