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THE DAY IN HISTORY · MAY 19

May 19 in history

What happened on May 19: 1 moment from the Maps of History atlases, in 1957, each linked to the map that shows it.

— Peking University student protests

19 May 1957 — Students paste up big-character posters on a wall they call the “Democratic Wall”, asking why the Party stands above the law; the student Lin Xiling tells packed meetings that the faults come from the system itself. Within weeks the posters became evidence. Lin, labelled a rightist, spent fifteen years in prison.

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