Memoir Nears Completion as Tiananmen Crackdown Soldier Zhang Shijun Falls into Medical Hardship

Many out-of-town students living in tents on Tiananmen Square died inside them. (Photo: DaJiYuan ImageLib / Dajiyuan)

[People News] As the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident approaches, Zhang Shijun—a former soldier in the martial law troops who was expelled from the military for refusing to fire on students—has once again drawn attention due to his deteriorating situation. Last year, he suffered a sudden, acute heart attack and was hospitalised for emergency treatment. Unable to afford the high medical costs, he was forced to leave the hospital early and has still not completed the formal discharge process. A friend revealed that his medical insurance account has long been inactive, with even the most basic coverage suspended.

According to Radio Free Asia, Zhang Shijun, once a soldier in the 162nd Division of the PLA’s 54th Group Army who took part in the 1989 Beijing martial law operation and witnessed the Tiananmen massacre firsthand, applied for early discharge after seeing soldiers open fire on students. His request was denied, and he was instead expelled from the army on charges of “bourgeois liberalisation” and “refusal to obey martial law orders.” In 1992, he was sentenced to three years of re-education through labour for “anti-party and anti-socialist speech.”

During the 35th anniversary of Tiananmen last year, Zhang was forcibly taken on a “mandatory vacation” by public security officials from Tengzhou, Shandong, to Guilin, Guangxi, for nearly ten days starting May 27. Although he has not yet received any notification from state security this year, a friend surnamed Lü (who declined to disclose his full name for safety reasons) told RFA on Wednesday (May 28) that Zhang is currently living in extreme poverty and unable to afford necessary medication. “In August last year, Zhang Shijun had an acute heart attack and was taken to the hospital. Due to his inability to pay the high medical costs, he left the hospital early and ended treatment. Nearly a year has passed, but he still hasn’t completed the discharge process because the hospital’s current reimbursement system requires settlement upon discharge.”

Through Hardship, Now Trapped Without Medical Coverage or Treatment

Zhang, now 55, had a heart attack last year. However, due to unpaid insurance fees, the hospital refused to process his reimbursement under the "discharge equals reimbursement" policy. Lü added, “He was forced to leave the hospital and stop treatment. His condition remains unresolved. Zhang’s medical insurance only covered a portion of hospitalisation costs for major illnesses and did not include daily medication. Even the minimum basic coverage has long been suspended.”

RFA managed to contact Zhang Shijun, who confirmed his friend’s statements and said he remains in his hometown, but declined an interview “for various reasons.” He added: “I haven’t received a travel notice (from authorities) this year regarding the anniversary, but I’m not in a position to give interviews for now—you understand why.”

“No Budget” for Public Security Amid Stability Maintenance Efforts

Another friend of Zhang’s, known as Lao Kong, told RFA that due to the approaching Tiananmen anniversary, local state security agents have been deploying stability maintenance measures, including monitoring online discussions. He added, “Apparently, the public security bureau doesn’t have much budget. I haven’t heard of anyone being taken out of town for surveillance tourism this year. Zhang hasn’t received a notice either, likely because they (the authorities) can’t afford it.”

In 2009, Zhang made headlines as the first martial law troop member to publicly repent, releasing an open letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for a reevaluation of the Tiananmen incident. His appeal drew the attention of local authorities, and he was subsequently placed under house arrest. Over the past decade, Zhang has lived in poverty, scraping by on odd jobs. He once taught Go (a traditional board game), but this income also vanished during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Tiananmen Witness's Medical Ordeal Reflects Broader Social Reality

A Shandong-based source, Mr. Wang, stated that Zhang’s health is steadily declining as he enters his mid-50s, and that he is currently working to complete a memoir documenting his personal experience during the 1989 crackdown. “Zhang told me, ‘I have to leave behind this truthful record of history—it is my moral responsibility.’”

Since 2010, Radio Free Asia has followed Zhang’s struggles for over a decade. After being imprisoned for opposing the CCP’s violent suppression, Zhang has lived at the margins of society, fighting for basic survival. His current inability to afford medical treatment is yet another result of systemic gaps. Mr. Wang said that when Zhang left the hospital last year, his daily medication cost only around 20 RMB ($2.75), but now he can barely afford it: “His medical insurance was cut off, and the meager healthcare funds provided by the government must be funneled through layers of local bureaucracy. His story is a mirror of modern Chinese history—a stark example of how the system treats those who act according to conscience.”