MAY35th is a sold out play in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and London.

Set 30 years after the harrowing events of June 4, 1989, May 35th tells the poignant story of an elderly couple determined to honour the memory of their son, who was killed during the peaceful protests of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. As they navigate their personal grief, the couple’s defiant act of remembrance becomes a powerful statement against the forces of silence and suppression. Their journey through loss, resistance, and the fight to keep their son’s story alive serves as a haunting reminder of the cost of forgetting—and the enduring power of memory.

Why May 35th?

A coded reference to the Tiananmen Square Massacre on June Fourth, 1989—a tragedy so heavily censored in China that the date cannot even be named. May 35th stands as a bold act of defiance, preserving the memory of those silenced by oppression.

Further Reading

“I want to prove that the mothers existed... I need to do it now because I don’t know if freedom of speech will be affected in a few years.”

The Times

Writer John Nathan interviewed May35th’s playwright Candace Chong's journey as she faces threats from an unidentified agent attempting to silence her voice. Despite the fear and pressure, Chong's determination to tell this vital story remains unshaken.

Candace Chong is an acclaimed playwright whose work spans theatre, musicals, operas, and script translation. She holds an Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Diploma in Playwriting from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Candace further refined her craft by earning a Master’s degree in Playwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London.

A celebrated figure in the Hong Kong theatre scene, Candace has been recognized with seven prestigious Best Script Awards at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. Her groundbreaking work earned her the Outstanding Young Playwright Award from the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies in 2003. In 2004, she received the distinguished Lee Hysan Foundation fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council, allowing her to expand her horizons in the United States. She was named Artist of the Year (Drama) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2010, and in 2012, Candace was honoured as one of the 25 most influential women by the South China Morning Post.

Candace’s storytelling and creative contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of theatre, earning her a place among the most respected playwrights in contemporary Asian drama. 

In 2019, she dedicated her script "May 35th" to Stage June Fourth Drama Company, a tribute done with passion and commitment, entirely uncompensated

  • By Candace Chong (Written and printed for the premiere in 2019)

    If we reduce ‘men’ to numbers, their past, their connections, their traces on earth will no longer interest us. We will no longer remember that, like us, they too had senses, dreams, love, and someone whom they will always remember.

    Remember, always.

    I sat there among the family of victims in the June Fourth Massacre, looking earnestly into their eyes. It’s been 30 years now. What ought to be said should have gone down to the records. But I still hoped that, somehow, their eyes could reveal what’s not down in the records, undocumented. And yes, the warmth of human touch did work its way through; remembrance is contagious. I gathered far more than what I needed for the screenplay.

    Then sitting among the exiled, right in front of me were characters well-dressed in western attire, all fashionable, but when they spoke, they spoke in such a strong Northern accent. With the accompaniment of foreign pop music, they recalled the anguish and indignation in their devastated run for refuge, that unreachable homeland, and their irreparable regret.

    And for the few Hong Kong journalists, the stare of history has seared a permanent mark deep in their hearts. Sometimes, the burden of bearing eyewitness to history can weigh you down, especially when you watch your old comrades, who survived that traumatic night with bravery and righteous indignation, now embrace what they used to detest in a magnificent turn. They abandon professional ethics and forsake their conscience to swear black is white, and hold a candle for the devil.

    How many destinies were rewritten in one night? How much has faded away and how much

    remains in constant remembrance over 30 years?

    Tyranny reduces human lives to figures, then it’s easy to govern, easy to imprison, and so easy to kill, and at last, these lives vanished without a trace. We do not approve of tyranny; we care about people. So, we remember. So, despite our smallness, we grow stronger as one, to keep those who did live in our lasting remembrance.

    A dedication to

    all victims in the June Fourth Massacre in Tiananmen Square 1989, their family, the exiled, the imprisoned, the journalists, the rescuers, the donors…

“May 35th is a play the Chinese authorities don’t want you to watch – about events they don’t want you to remember.”

Amnesty International

Amnesty interviewed with producer Lit Ming Wai on the production of the play throughout the years, and the London debut in 2024