Puppet Emperor Palace Museum
Emergence of Contestation: 1984
The Puppet Emperor Palace, dedicated to China's emperor Puyi, is at present designed to serve as a "site of memory" for the emperor's life journey from the throne to becoming an ordinary citizen of the newly formed Chinese state, as well as a symbol of China's successfull wartime struggle against the Japanese rule (specifically Japan's puppet government in Manchukuo). However, the site itself did not serve as the stage for most of Puyi's conversion, nor did it figure prominently in the Chinese resistance, which seemingly somewhat undermines its claim to the "site of memory" title. A consideration of the actual history of active Japanese governance associated with the site (as opposed to the "victim narrative" carefully constructed by the CCP) could restore this title to the museum, but would require a departure from the official Party narrative aimed at centering national legitimacy.
Beyond a "Site of Memory": The Puppet Emperor Palace Museum - Emily Matson
Mimizuka (Ear Mound)
Emergence of Contestation: 1597
The Mimizuka memorial can serve as an example of a transformative mnemonic site, where meaning and memory of conflict is continuously reshaped through time. The representations of the monument and the collective memories associated with it shift between communities, generating narratives ranging from reproach to remembrance, and even reconciliation, all the while fueling discussion on how memorialisation is handled in today's society.
Kyoto's Mimizuka: Transformation and Contestation Across Four Centuries - Daniel Milne
Lin Zhao Tomb
Emergence of Contestation: 2013
Lin Zhao (Chinese: 林昭; January 23, 1932 – April 29, 1968), born Peng Lingzhao (彭令昭), was a prominent dissident who was imprisoned and later executed by the People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution for her criticism of Mao Zedong's policies. On the date of her death (April 29), memorial gatherings on the site of her tomb was interrupted by the authority with conflicts.
June 4th Museum (Tiananmen Incident)
Emergence of Contestation: 2019
The June 4th Museum in Hong Kong commemorates the student democratization movement and the Tiananmen Incident in 1989 in Beijing. There has been several instances that the museum was broken into by the unknown forces and protested against by the pro-Beijing groups in Hong Kong, who claimed that the museum is distorting history. In mainland China the Tiananmen Incident is identified as student riot, which is counter-revolutionary, whereas elsewhere the Incident is widely seen as democratization movement that was repressed by the authorities.
Jiabiangou Labor Camp Sites
Emergence of Contestation: 2013, 2014
Jiabiangou Labor Camp (Chinese: 夹边沟; pinyin: Jiābiāngōu) is a former farm labor camp (laogai) located in Jiuquan in the northwestern desert region of Gansu Province. The camp was in use during the Anti-Rightist Campaign in the years from 1957 to 1961. During its operation, it held approximately 3,000 political prisoners, of whom about 2,500 died at Jiabianguo, mostly of starvation. Remains of the camp, including the graveyards, are unmaintained and heavily guarded to prevent people from visiting. In November 2013, a new monument erected by families and social workers was quickly destroyed by local authorities. Ai Xiaoming, a professor of Sun Yat-sen University, was briefly detained before released and prevented from photographing the site in May 2014.
Ahn Martyr Memorial Museum 【安重根(An Chung-gun)】
Emergence of Contestation: 2014
The South Korean President Park visited China in 2013, and expressed the idea of building a museum to commemorate An Chung-gun in Harbin, the city where he assassinated Ito Hirobumi. After the construction of the museum in 2014, it was protested against by the Japanese Foreign Minister (2014, Jan. 20). Though An is widely remembered as an Anti-Japanese patriot in China and South Korea, he was regarded as a terrorist in Japan.
