Deng Xiaoping, Dazibao and Dissent: A Critical Analysis of the Xidan Democracy Wall Movement

A critical analysis of various misconceptions surrounding the 1978-9 Beijing Xidan Democracy Wall Movement. The narrative of the movement has been skewed by both the Chinese and United States governments and the false story has continued in much of the literature on the movement. In my thesis I attempted to reinterpret the events and motivations behind the movement through the use of primary source and personal interviews with activists Wei Jingsheng and Huang Xiang.