Part 2/10:
The roots of this control date back to the Tiananmen Square protests in June 1989, where thousands of students demanded free speech and democratic reforms. The brutal crackdown that followed left a deep impression on the CCP, instilling a fear of swift and organized dissent. As technology advanced, the party saw the internet not as a tool for liberation but as a potential threat to its authority. Journalist James Griffiths summarizes this mindset, noting that while people believed the internet could inevitably foster democratic change, the party was confident in its ability to control it just as it had done with other media forms.