Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt memorialising the loss of life during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, China committed by the Chinese Communist Party.

'martyrs' pillar') in Hong Kong was a copper sculpture, first erected in Victoria Park in 1997 to mark the eighth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

[citation needed] During the following months, the Pillar was exhibited at the following universities: On 31 May 1998, the ninth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, the sculpture was returned to Victoria Park where a candlelit vigil was held.

[8] Without the university authorities' endorsement, the Pillar was moved back to the Haking Wong podium after the anniversary,[8][9] where it has remained on display; a silent tribute is held by HKUSU and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China in May every year.

[22] Galschiøt expressed his shock in a public message the same day, referring to Hong Kong as a lawless place and announcing that he would claim compensation if it wasn't returned to him.

He decided to relinquish his right to commercial exclusivity, so that anyone can make a copy, provided that all profits are given to the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement.

[28] In May 2023, the Pillar of Shame was seized from storage at the Kadoorie Centre by Hong Kong's National Security Department, reportedly to be used as evidence in a case of subversion of state power.

[29] In March of 2024 one of several smaller scale models Galschiøt made in the 1990s along with "forbidden art" deemed subversive by China and Hong Kong was put on exhibition outside the European Parliament during debates about: On the 4th of June in 2024, a 3D printed Pillar of Shame was erected and on display in Taipei, in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall during the 35th anniversary of the massacre during an event of peaceful demonstration and remembrance.

[32][33] Other Pillars have been erected in the following locations: A pile of over 16,000 shoes, each pair representing a victim of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, is placed in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Sunday 11 July 2010.