He stated that the idea that China denies it is false. They have successfully integrated the event into their national narrative. Party members openly speak about Tianenem Square and use it as a lesson for how to better govern going forward

Was it a brutal crackdown on protests? Somewhat, yes. But soldiers also defected and sided with the protesters, and the protestors also killed some soldiers.

It's a complicated event and an important part of modern Chinese history. Yet most people only learn a tiny part of it and assume the rest.

The book series "three body problem" by a Chinese author started the process of opening by mind about this stuff. In this book, he openly criticizes the cultural revolution and anti-intellectualism in the Chinese government during that time period.

I thought all forms of dissent were banned. But it turns out the party today doesn't see itself as the same as before. So while you can't criticize the current one, the one from 30 years ago is fair game.

There's a lot to say here about the US perception of China versus China in actuality. Propagqnda is powerful and fills in the cracks for what people don't know and seems unusual to them.