A recent photo of two Chinese female athletes has been subject to censorship on Chinese social media due to its inadvertent reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre. The photo in question features Lin Yuwei and Wu Yanni, with their race numbers forming the number '64,' which is commonly associated with the tragic incident that occurred on June 4th.

Discussions regarding the Tiananmen Square incident remain strictly prohibited in China, and authorities consistently work to remove any online mentions of it. In 1989, security forces fatally shot numerous pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, although the exact death toll remains uncertain, ranging from several hundred to several thousand according to human rights organizations.

The athletes, after a 100m hurdles race at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, embraced each other in celebration. Lin wore lane number 6 next to Wu's lane number 4 in the photo. Users on Weibo, a major Chinese social media platform, had initially posted congratulations to Lin, but any posts containing the photo were quickly replaced with grey squares.

Notably, the photo has not been entirely eradicated from the internet, as some Chinese news articles still display it. China has garnered nearly 300 medals in the ongoing Asian Games, further emphasizing its significance on the international sporting stage.

However, discussing the events of Tiananmen Square remains an extremely sensitive topic in China, with many younger generations growing up with limited knowledge of the massacre due to strict government control over information. Posts related to the event are frequently removed, and last year, a well-known Chinese influencer's livestream was abruptly halted when he displayed a vanilla log cake resembling a tank on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the massacre.

This cake alluded to the iconic "Tank Man" image, which depicts a civilian with shopping bags standing in front of a line of tanks, attempting to obstruct their path.