A Victoria Park Without Candlelight: Silence and Unfading Memory

Each 4 June, Victoria Park was Hong Kong’s beacon of memory. For decades, tens of thousands gathered, candles in hand, to illuminate its lawn, mourning the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, singing Flowers of Freedom, and chanting “Never Forget June Fourth, Uphold Justice.” Yet, in 2025, Victoria Park stands dark, its grass empty, its silence deafening. The land that once bore grief and hope is quiet, but Hong Kong’s memory burns on.

Victoria Park’s Candlelit Past

On 4 June 1989, the violent clearance of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square stunned the world. Hong Kong residents marched, making Victoria Park a mourning hub. From 1990, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the Alliance) held annual candlelight vigils here, drawing up to 180,000 at their peak. Seas of candlelight, Goddess of Democracy statues, recitations of victims’ names, and Democracy Will Triumph melodies forged Hong Kong’s collective memory. The vigils not only honoured the fallen but introduced censored truths to mainland visitors and youth, earning global recognition as the largest June Fourth commemoration.

Victoria Park witnessed Hong Kong’s resolve: 150,000 at the 1990 debut, flowers laid before the 1997 handover, 180,000 at the final public vigil in 2019. Each candle was a pledge, each song a defiance. More than a place, Victoria Park became a symbol of Hong Kong’s civic spirit, embodying aspirations for freedom and justice.

The Fading of Candlelight

Since the 2020 National Security Law, Victoria Park’s vigils have been banned for six years. Citing “public health” or “security,” authorities halted gatherings, and the Alliance dissolved in 2021, with leaders like Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung jailed. The park’s lawn, often booked for carnivals around 4 June, lies desolate. In 2020, thousands defied bans to light candles, only to be dispersed; public mourning has since vanished. Victoria Park’s silence mirrors Hong Kong’s transformation: a once-free space now walled off, slogans now whispered. Yet, silence is not surrender—memory seeks other paths.

Memory’s Endurance

Without Victoria Park’s candlelight, Hong Kong residents persist with creativity:

• Street Glimmers: In Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, people light phone torches or candles briefly. In 2024, an artist in Causeway Bay gestured “8964,” sparking reflection despite detention.
• Campus Echoes: Though the Pillar of Shame was removed from universities, students lay flowers at former sites or light candles in dorms.
• Private Spaces: Residents draw “8964” at home, share candlelight images on X, or hum Flowers of Freedomsoftly.
• Overseas Sparks: Vigils in London, Taipei, and New York carry Hong Kong’s tradition, with diaspora lighting candles.

These small acts, like stars in the dark, prove Victoria Park’s light endures. Hong Kong’s quiet defiance safeguards 1989’s truth.

Victoria Park’s Future

In 2025, Victoria Park lacks candlelight, but its meaning persists. It remains a sacred ground in Hong Kong’s heart, bearing 1989’s tragedy and three decades of resolve. Its silence urges courage and wisdom in memory’s transmission. Perhaps one day, candles will return, the Goddess of Democracy will rise, and Flowers of Freedom will ring out. Until then, every Hong Kong heart is a Victoria Park, every flicker a tribute to the fallen.

Conclusion

A Victoria Park without candlelight is Hong Kong’s scar and its resolve. The sacrifices of 1989 are not forgotten; the park’s silence is but a pause. On 4 June 2025, HKCitizen.net records this memory, inviting readers to light a candle in their hearts—be it in Victoria Park, on streets, or in spirit. With “never forget, never dare to forget,” we guard truth, awaiting the day light returns to Victoria Park.