【新唐人2012年4月10日訊】中國著名民運人士、天體物理學家方勵之，最近在美國突然去世。方勵之作為中國民主運動的啟蒙者，直接推動與影響了「86學運」和「89學運」，對中國影響深遠。但他的信息在中國大陸卻被長期屏蔽，很多民眾不知道方勵之已經去世，有些人甚至沒有聽說過方勵之這個名字。
上週五（6號），方勵之在亞利桑那州的家中突然逝世，享年76歲。他曾經擔任「中國科技大學」副校長，是1986年學生運動的領軍人物，後來被開除黨籍並受到全國性批判。1989年「六四大屠殺」之後，方勵之被迫流亡美國，在「亞利桑那大學」擔任天體物理學教授。
對於方勵之的突然離世，很多海外人士紛紛表達哀悼之情，並準備發起紀念活動。但方勵之去世的消息在中國大陸卻被嚴密封鎖，媒體不予報導，網絡上的相關信息也被當局刪除。記者調查發現，有的大陸民眾甚至從來沒有聽說過方勵之的名字。
記者：「你知道方勵之是誰嗎？」
大陸90後女生李倩：「有點耳熟，不知道啊。」
記者：「他前幾天在美國去世了，你知道嗎？」
大陸90後女生李倩：「不知道啊。」
網絡記者周曙光則對《新唐人》表示，他是最近才知道方勵之這個名字的。
周曙光：「我這幾天才知道，以前不知道。最近幾天很多人提到他，提到他去世，提到他在1990年離開中國。我懷疑，我們在網絡上比較活躍的、獲取信息比較自由的都不太了解這個人的話，其他人就更加不知道了。」
《美國之音》報導說，大陸當局的屏蔽政策導致中國民眾集體失憶，當今的年輕一代對方勵之所知甚少。
著名政論家胡平談到，從1989年之後，方勵之的名字就被中共當局徹底屏蔽，而這正是極權統治最大的罪惡。
胡平：「就是說，它和過去那些專制統治還不一樣。就是它不但要壓制你本人，而且還把你的整個思想甚至你的存在，都通過官方操控媒體（進行屏蔽）這種方式，使你的存在變成不存在。」
胡平分析指出，更加惡劣的是，這種長期的信息封鎖使很多人漸漸放棄了對真相的追尋。有些人號稱「對政治不感興趣」，其實只是一種詭辯。
胡平：「你為甚麼要甘心接受這種控制，為甚麼別人給你吃甚麼你就吃甚麼，你不能自己找？問題在這裡。另外，你既然沒有試圖翻牆，沒有試圖了解這些事情的真相，那麼你怎麼知道這些真相就不重要？和你的生活就沒有關係呢？」
1989年，中共當局為鎮壓學生民主運動，而進行了震驚世界的「六四大屠殺」，軍隊使用槍支、甚至坦克對學生進行殺戮。「中國紅十字會」曾經報告說，鎮壓造成2600人死亡。
90後女生李倩經過他人介紹，漸漸了解了六四屠殺真相。
90後女生李倩：「我想這也太恐怖了吧，關於這些事情。居然真的是拿那些坦克甚麼的，太嚇人了！」
方勵之曾出版多本關於天體物理和宇宙學的著作，是國際知名的天體物理學家。2010年方勵之當選為「美國物理學會」會士。
採訪/劉惠 編輯/李謙 後製/蕭宇
Why Collective Amnesia of Fang Lizhi?
Well-known social activist and astrophysicist Fang Lizhi
recently passed away in the U.S.
An initiator of Chinese democracy movement,
Fang directly promoted the 1986 and 1989 student movements.
News of his death, however, is blocked to the people
of Mainland China.
Many people do not know of Fangs death;
some having never even heard of him.
Last Friday (April 6), Fang suddenly died at his home
in Arizona, he was 76 years of age.
He once served as Vice-Chancellor at the Chinese University
of Science and Technology.
Due to his leadership in the 1986 student movement,
he was expelled from CCP and suffered national criticism.
After the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, Fang was forced to flee
to the U.S. where he served as astrophysics professor at University of Arizona.
Many overseas people expressed condolences over Fang’s death
and prepared to launch his commemoration.
The news of his death, however, is blocked in Mainland China.
There is no media report, and internet information about him
has been widely deleted.
Surveys show some Mainland people haven’t even heard of him.
Reporter: 『Do you know who Fang Lizhi is?’
Li Qian, a 1990s born Chinese young girl replied: 『Sounds familiar, but I do not know of him’.
Reporter: 『He died a few days ago on American soil. Did you know that?’
Li Qian replies, 『No, I did not know that!’
Internet reporter Zhou Shuguang said to NTD,
only recently did he learn about Fang Lizhi.
Zhou Shuguang: “It is only in these past few days
people have talked about his death, and of his fleeing from China to the U.S in the 1990s.
Other than that we have no knowledge of him.
Mainland Chinese know even less, due to the lack of free Internet access in China.”
『Voice of America’ reported, Mainland authorities Internet
filtration, has led to collective amnesia amongst Chinese people.
Today’s younger generation knows very little about Fang Lizhi.
Well-known political critic Hu Ping said, Fang’s name
has been filtered by CCP since 1989, which is further evidence of CCP’s totalitarian rule.
Hu Ping says: “The CCP is different from the previous
authoritarian rule, such that it not only suppresses people, but also manipulates their memory.
With mass media as ideological instruments, they can erase
historical figures and events from the minds of people.”
Hu Ping pointed out that, a worse consequence of
such long-term blockade is many people have gradually given up on their search for the truth.
Some people claim they’re, “not even interested in politics",
which is nothing but a feeble excuse.
Hu Ping claims: “Why should people accept this kind of control?
Why do people simply accept what CCP feeds them?
The problem being, people do not actively look for the truth.
Before, they use to try &break information filtration
in order to learn more about truth.
From this standpoint, how can they know the truth is not worth
searching for nor that its unimportant? ”
In 1989, CCP carried out the Tiananmen massacre
to suppress the Student Democracy Movement.
The army used firearms and tanks to stop & kill the students.
At the time, the Red Cross Society of China reported 2600 deaths.
Li Qian, the young girl from Mainland China, learned
about the Tiananmen massacre through someone else.
Li Qian: “I think this is just horrible!
They (CCP) even used tanks! So scary! Horrible!
Now I understand why so many Chinese people with money or
power try to immigrate to foreign countries.”
Fang Lizhi published many books on astrophysics and cosmology.
He is an internationally renowned astrophysicist.
In 2010 he was elected as Fellow of the American Physical Society.