1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

Student-led demonstrations in China June 4th movement May Fourth Movement Tiananmen Square proteststhe military crackdown specifically People's Liberation Army at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre yes Citation bot October 2026 September 2022 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre the Cold War, the Revolutions of 1989 and the Chinese democracy movement 1 Události_na_náměstí_Tian_an_men,_Čína_1989,_foto_Jiří_Tondl.jpg 260 Chinese_tanks_in_Beijing,_July_1989.png 260 Protesters in Tiananmen Square on 2 June (top), and tanks in Beijing in July (bottom) center infobox Initial protests:15 April – 4 June 1989(4 15 1989 6 4 1989) Massacre: 3–4 June 1989 (1 day); 1989 06 03 years ago Tiananmen Square, Beijing, Chinaand 400 cities nationwide 39 54 12 N 116 23 30 E type:event_region:CN-11 it * Death of Hu Yaobang Reform and opening up Inflation Political corruption Nepotism in the Communist Party Third wave of democracy Ending corruption in the Communist Party, democratic reforms, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of association, social equality, economic reforms, preservation of welfare Hunger strike, sit-in, civil disobedience, protest marches, occupation, rioting Government crackdown Martial law implemented on May 20 Protests suppressed by force between June 3 and June 4 Heavy casualties from urban clashes between rioters and Chinese soldiers in Beijing, especially in the Muxidi suburbs Protest leaders and pro-democracy activists exiled or imprisoned Rioters charged with violent crimes executed in the following months Zhao Ziyang removed as General Secretary and from the Politburo Jiang Zemin promoted to paramount leader by Deng Xiaoping Imposition of Western sanctions and arms embargoes Initiation of Operation Yellowbird Official CCP tally: 241 deadIncluding 23 soldiers and policemenIdentified by Tiananmen Mothers: 202 deadIncluding 4 who committed suicide following the events but not including any soldiers or policeHospital records: 478 deadAmnesty International: Up to 1,000 dead UTC+9, China daylight saving timeGuo Qing-sheng 2001 zh:中国标准时制考 A Study on the Standard Time Changes for the Past 100 Years in China http://sourcedb.cas.cn/sourcedb_scr_cas/zwqkk/kxwhzl/kxjss/jxdkjs/200912/P020091229393382424589.pdf dead China Historical Materials of Science and Technology zh-cn 22 3 269–280 1000-0798(2001)03-0269-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20161220074304/http://sourcedb.cas.cn/sourcedb_scr_cas/zwqkk/kxwhzl/kxjss/jxdkjs/200912/P020091229393382424589.pdf 20 December 2016 2016-12-09 dmy-all Protests led by students and workers, known in China as the June Fourth Incident,六四事件 liùsì shìjiàn were held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government initiated martial law in late May and deployed troops to occupy the square on the night of 3 June in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement,八九民运 Bājiǔ mínyùn the Tiananmen Square Incident,天安门事件 Tiān'ānmén shìjiàn or the Tiananmen uprising.I watched the 1989 Tiananmen uprising https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-tiananmen-looking-back-20190530-story.html Los Angeles Times May 30, 2019 23 July 2023 23 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230723102421/https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-tiananmen-looking-back-20190530-story.html liveAs China Cracks Down on Dissent, New York City Gives Refuge to Exhibit Remembering Tiananmen Square https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/articles/2023-06-01/as-china-cracks-down-on-dissent-new-york-city-gives-refuge-to-exhibit-remembering-tiananmen-square 23 July 2023 US News & World Report June 1, 2023 23 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230723102421/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/articles/2023-06-01/as-china-cracks-down-on-dissent-new-york-city-gives-refuge-to-exhibit-remembering-tiananmen-square live The Chinese government terms the events the political turmoil between the spring and summer of 1989.1989年春夏之交的政治风波 1989 Nián Chūnxià Zhījiāo de Zhèngzhì Fēngbō The protests were initiated by the death of former pro-reform Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989, amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China. The movement's goals reflected anxieties among the people and political elite about the nation's future. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, dismantling of the "iron rice bowl", limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy,Brook 1998 216 and restrictions on political participation. Although the protests were highly disorganised with varying goals, student protestors called for reforms including the rollback of the removal of iron rice bowl jobs, greater political accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech.Lim 2014a 34–35Nathan 2001 Workers' protests were generally focused on economic issues, specifically inflation and Deng's economic reforms, which weakened Mao-era guarantees such as lifetime employment in state-owned enterprises and associated workplace benefits.Lin Chun The Transformation of Chinese Socialism 2006 Duke University Press 978-0822337850 Durham [N.C.] 211 63178961 10.2307/j.ctv113199n j.ctv113199n These groups united around anti-corruption demands, adjusting economic policies, and protecting social security. At the height of the protests on May 17, about one million people were assembled in the square.D. Zhao 2001 171 As the protests developed, Chinese authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership.Saich 1990 172 By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanised support around the country for the demonstrators, and the protests spread to some 400 cities.Thomas 2006 On 20 May, the State Council declared martial law, and as many as 300,000 troops were mobilized to Beijing, but were halted by mass nonviolent resistance from the protestors and Beijing's civilian population.Thomas 2006Nathan Andrew J. Link Perry Liang Zhang The Tiananmen Papers Foreign Affairs 2002 80 1 468–477 10.2307/20050041 20050041 29 June 2023 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 13 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230413094902/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 live 0015-7120 subscriptionMiles 2009Declassified British cable After several weeks of standoffs and confrontations between the army and demonstrators, a 1 June meeting among the CCP's leadership decided to clear the square.p. 468. "After Li's report the Elders voiced their anger at the foreign and domestic enemies who were manipulating the students, and their con-viction that there was no choice left but to clear the Square by force. Nonetheless, most of the Elders hoped the job could be done without casualties, and Deng Xiaop-ing repeated his insistence that nothing should stop the momentum of reform and opening." Nathan Andrew J. Link Perry Liang Zhang The Tiananmen Papers Foreign Affairs 2002 80 1 468–477 10.2307/20050041 20050041 29 June 2023 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 13 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230413094902/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 live 0015-7120 subscriptionMiles 2009Declassified British cable Chinese troops advanced into central parts of Beijing through the city's major highways in the early morning hours of 4 June, and engaged in bloody clashes with demonstrators attempting to block them, in which many people – demonstrators, bystanders, and soldiers – were killed or injured. The vast majority of killings were clustered in Beijing's western suburbs along Chang'an Avenue. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundreds to the low thousands, with thousands more wounded.How Many Died 1990Sino-American relations 1991 445Brook 1998 154Kristof: Reassessing CasualtiesRichelson Evans 1999Calls for Justice 2004 On June 5, after military forces cleared the Square, an unidentified individual, later referred to as "Tank Man" briefly stood in front of a column of tanks, temporarily blocking their movement. The photograph of the event became widely circulated internationally and is often regarded as one of the most recognizable images of the 20th century. It is subject to censorship in China.Hernández Javier C. 2019-06-03 30 Years After Tiananmen, 'Tank Man' Remains an Icon and a Mystery https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/world/asia/tiananmen-tank-man.html 2026-06-04 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331Ables Kelsey The forbidden images of the Chinese internet https://www.cnn.com/style/article/chinese-internet-censorship-images/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20221217025649/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/chinese-internet-censorship-images/index.html 2022-12-17 2026-06-04 CNN enWitty Patrick 2009-06-03 Behind the Scenes: Tank Man of Tiananmen https://archive.nytimes.com/lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/behind-the-scenes-tank-man-of-tiananmen/ 2026-06-04 Lens Blog en The event had both immediate and longer-term consequences. Western countries imposed arm embargoes on ChinaDube 2014 and various Western media outlets labeled the crackdown a massacre.Tiananmen Square incident https://www.britannica.com/event/Tiananmen-Square-incident Encyclopædia Britannica 9 July 2023 21 September 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230921210749/https://www.britannica.com/event/Tiananmen-Square-incident live20 Years After Tiananmen Square https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104649913 18 August 2023 NPR 18 August 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230818043558/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104649913 live In the aftermath of the protests, the Chinese government suppressed other protests around China, carried out mass arrests of protestersMiles 1997 28 which catalysed Operation Yellowbird, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic and foreign affiliated press, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. The government also invested heavily into creating more effective police riot control units. More broadly, the suppression was followed by a halt to political reforms which began in 1986 as well as the New Enlightenment movement,Wu 2015Pei Minxin Minxin Pei June 3, 2019 Tiananmen and the end of Chinese enlightenment https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Tiananmen-and-the-end-of-Chinese-enlightenment live https://web.archive.org/web/20190603192225/https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Tiananmen-and-the-end-of-Chinese-enlightenment 2019-06-03 Nikkei Asia en and a slowdown in liberalising policies of the 1980s, which were later partly resumed after Deng Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992.Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour http://chinaconnectu.com/wp-content/pdf/DengXiaopingsSouthernTour.pdf 2009 Berkshire Publishing Group LLC live https://web.archive.org/web/20170517044420/http://chinaconnectu.com/wp-content/pdf/DengXiaopingsSouthernTour.pdf 17 May 2017After 20 Years of 'Peaceful Evolution,' China Faces Another Historic Moment https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/after-20-years-of-peaceful-evolution-china-faces-another-historic-moment/251764/ Ma Damien 23 January 2012 The Atlantic en-US 1 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190816112722/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/after-20-years-of-peaceful-evolution-china-faces-another-historic-moment/251764/ 16 August 2019 liveThe inside story of the propaganda fightback for Deng's reforms https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2173020/inside-story-propaganda-fightback-deng-xiaopings-market-reforms 14 November 2018 South China Morning Post en 1 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200226140740/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2173020/inside-story-propaganda-fightback-deng-xiaopings-market-reforms 26 February 2020 live In the longer term, political liberalisation was curtailed, while market-oriented economic reforms continued and were accelerated after 1992 under strong state direction led by Deng Xiaoping.Heilmann Sebastian https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2n7q6b Red Swan: How Unorthodox Policy-Making Facilitated China's Rise 2018 The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press 978-962-996-827-4 Considered a watershed event, reactions to the protests set limits on political expression in China that have lasted up to the present day.Prosperity, repression mark China 30 years after Tiananmen https://www.apnews.com/f298a41082ec4928804f4891171cfb02 3 June 2019 Associated Press 3 June 2019 live Christopher Bodeen https://web.archive.org/web/20190603082955/https://www.apnews.com/f298a41082ec4928804f4891171cfb02 3 June 2019 The events remain one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.Nathan 2009Goodman 1994 112 3 Naming 8964 the minor planet 8964 Corax cp st zh 六四 事件 June Fourth Incident Liù-Sì Shìjiàn Lyòu-Sz̀ Shr̀jyàn l iu 4 si 4 - shi 4 j ian 4 Liu4-Szu4 Shih4-chien4 luk6 sei3 si6 gin6 l uk 4 . s ei 3 - s i 6 - g in 6 Lùhk-sei Sih gihn La̍k-sù Sū-kiaⁿ Loh-sy Zy-ji Name used by the PRC Government 1989年春夏之交的政治风波 1989年春夏之交的政治風波 1989-nián chūn xià zhījiāo de zhèngzhì fēngbō Political turmoil between the Spring and Summer of 1989 1989–nien2 chʻun1 hsia4 chih1-chiao1 te0 cheng4-chih4 feng1-po1 jat1 gau2 baat3 gau2 nin4 ceon1 haa6 zi1 gaau1 dik1 zing3 zi6 fung1 bo1 1989-nìhn cheūnhaah jígáau dī jingchìh fūngbō 1989-nî chhun-hē chi-kau tī chèng-tī hong-pho 1989-ni tshen-ghô tsy-jiau di tsen-tsy fhon-bo 八九民運 八九民运 Bā-Jiǔ Mínyùn Eighty-Nine Democracy Movement Pa1-Chiu3 Min2-yün4 Bā-Jyǒu Mínyùn baat3 gau2 man4 wan6 b aat 3 - g au 2 - m an 4 - w an 6 baatgáu màhnwahn pat-káu bîn-ūn poh-cieu Min-yiuin Liòu-Sìh Shìh-jiàn ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄙˋ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ b a 1 . j iu 3 - m in 2 . yun 4 Ba-Jiǒu Mín-yùn ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄩㄣˋ yi 1 . j iu 3 . b a 1 . j iu 3 . n ian 2 - ch un 1 - x ia 4 - zhi 1 . j iao 1 - d e 5 - zh eng 4 . zhi 4 - feng 1 - b o 1 The Chinese government has used numerous names for the event since 1989.Vogel 2011 634 As the events unfolded, it was labelled a "counter revolutionary rebellion", which was later changed to simply "riot", followed by "political turmoil" and "1989 storm".Vogel 2011 634 Currently, the CCP and the PRC term the events the "political turmoil between the spring and summer of 1989" (no 1989 Nián Chūnxià Zhījiāo de Zhèngzhì Fēngbō 1989年春夏之交的政治风波).7 April 2021 中国共产党简史(四十一): 经济上的治理整顿和经受国内外政治风波的考验 A Brief History of the Chinese Communist Party (41): Economic Governance and Rectification and Withstanding the Tests of Domestic and International Political Turmoil http://www.lhlzw.gov.cn/sitesources/lhsjjw/page_pc/zt/fdbnlqhxzc/bnds/articlec92ebf3c70d841aab7761af72cafbff2.html 12 May 2026 Luoyang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision zh 11 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250611034859/http://www.lhlzw.gov.cn/sitesources/lhsjjw/page_pc/zt/fdbnlqhxzc/bnds/articlec92ebf3c70d841aab7761af72cafbff2.html live Milestones - 陈云纪念馆 https://www.cyjng.net/en/h-nd-33.html 2026-05-12 Chen Yun Memorial en 15 January 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260115213247/https://www.cyjng.net/en/h-nd-33.html live In China, the crackdown is known as the "June Fourth Incident" (no 六四事件 liùsì shìjiàn).Sonnad Nikhil 261 ways to refer to the Tiananmen Square massacre in China https://qz.com/698990/261-ways-to-refer-to-the-tiananmen-square-massacre-in-china/ 3 June 2019 Quartz 21 June 2022 9 July 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220709060753/https://qz.com/698990/261-ways-to-refer-to-the-tiananmen-square-massacre-in-china/ liveSu Alice He tried to commemorate erased history. China detained him, then erased that too https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-24/china-world-history-erasure-youth-censorship Los Angeles Times 24 June 2021 10 May 2022 20 July 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220720120122/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-24/china-world-history-erasure-youth-censorship live Outside mainland China, and among circles critical of the crackdown within mainland China, the crackdown is commonly referred to in Chinese as "June Fourth Massacre" (no 六四屠殺 liùsì túshā) and "June Fourth Crackdown" (no 六四鎮壓 liùsì zhènyā). To bypass censorship by the Great Firewall, alternative names have sprung up to describe the events on the Internet, such as May 35th, VIIV (Roman numerals for 6 and 4), Eight Squared (since 82=64)China tightens information and 8964 (in yymd format).Yuen Chantal 2016-06-13 Bus driver in '8964' massacre memento suspended for 3 months – report https://hongkongfp.com/2016/06/13/bus-displayed-8964-commemoration-tiananmen-massacre-sees-driver-suspended-3-months/ 2023-04-17 Hong Kong Free Press en-GB In English, the terms "Tiananmen Square Massacre", "Tiananmen Square Protests", and "Tiananmen Square Crackdown" are often used to describe the series of events. However, much of the violence in Beijing did not actually happen in Tiananmen, but outside the square along a stretch of Chang'an Avenue only a few miles long, and especially near the Muxidi area.Baum 1996 283 The term also gives a misleading impression that demonstrations only happened in Beijing, when in fact, they occurred in many cities throughout China.Miles 2009 Background Boluan Fanzheng and economic reforms Boluan FanzhengBoluan Fanzheng reform and opening up The Cultural Revolution ended with chairman Mao Zedong's death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four.Shen Baoxiang 《亲历拨乱反正》: 拨乱反正的日日夜夜 http://www.hybsl.cn/huinianyaobang/huainianwenzhang/2017-10-24/66449.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20210103093636/http://www.hybsl.cn/huinianyaobang/huainianwenzhang/2017-10-24/66449.html 3 January 2021 29 April 2020 hybsl.cn zhHuíshǒu 1978 – Lìshǐ zài zhèlǐ zhuǎnzhé zh:回首1978 – 历史在这里转折 zh Rénmín Rìbào Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/82819/122016/index.html dead 29 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20080511170617/http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/82819/122016/index.html 11 May 2008 People's Daily zh:人民日报 The movement, spearheaded by Mao, had caused severe damage to the country's initially diverse economic and social fabric.Tom Phillips 11 May 2016 The Cultural Revolution https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion 5 November 2021 The Guardian 8 December 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191208010532/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion live As a result, the country was now mired in poverty as economic production slowed or came to a halt.Naughton 2007 Deng Xiaoping proposed the idea of Boluan Fanzheng ("bringing order out of chaos") to correct the mistakes of the Cultural Revolution. He launched a comprehensive program to reform the Chinese economy called the reform and opening up. Within several years, the country's focus on ideological purity was replaced by a concerted attempt to achieve material prosperity. To oversee his reform agenda, Deng promoted his allies to top government and party posts. Zhao Ziyang was named Premier, the head of government, in September 1980, and Hu Yaobang became CCP General Secretary in 1982. Deng had believed that the "iron rice bowl" was too costly to maintain on the path to modernization and his reforms dismantled Mao-era guarantees such as lifetime employment in state-owned enterprises and associated workplace benefits, contributing to worker unrest and protests over layoffs and inflation.The Shattered "Iron Rice Bowl"— Intergenerational Effects of Economic Insecurity During Chinese StateOwned Enterprise Reform https://economics.uq.edu.au/files/46335/595.pdf 2026-05-21 UQ School of Economics - The University of QueenslandIron rice bowl http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/china_politics/key_people_events/html/4.stm 2026-05-21 BBC Challenges to Reforms and Opening up Deng's reforms aimed to decrease the state's role in the economy and gradually allow private production in agriculture and industry. By 1981, roughly 73% of rural farms had been de-collectivized, and 80% of state-owned enterprises were permitted to retain their profits. While the reforms were generally well received by the public, concerns grew over a series of social problems which the changes brought about, including corruption and nepotism on the part of elite party bureaucrats.Naughton 2007 91 The state-mandated pricing system, in place since the 1950s, had long kept prices fixed at low levels. The initial reforms created a dual-track price system where some prices were fixed while others were allowed to fluctuate. In a market with chronic shortages, price fluctuation allowed people with powerful connections to buy goods at low prices and sell at market prices. Party bureaucrats in charge of economic management had enormous incentives to engage in such arbitrage.D. Zhao 2001 120 Discontent over corruption reached a fever pitch with the public; and many, particularly intellectuals, began to believe that only democratic reform and the rule of law could cure the country's ills.D. Zhao 2001 Chapter 5: On the Eve of the 1989 Movement Following the 1988 meeting at their summer retreat of Beidaihe, the party leadership under Deng agreed to implement a transition to a market-based pricing system from the previous dual-track price system.D. Zhao 2001 127 News of the relaxation of price controls triggered waves of cash withdrawals, panic buying, and hoarding all over China.D. Zhao 2001 127Pak Jennifer June 5, 2019 Economics helped spur Tiananmen Square protests https://www.marketplace.org/story/2019/06/05/economics-helped-spur-tiananmen-square-protests 2026-08-30 Marketplace en The government panicked and rescinded the price reforms in less than two weeks, but there was a pronounced impact for much longer. Inflation soared; official indices reported that the Consumer Price Index increased by 30% in Beijing between 1987 and 1988, leading to panic among salaried workers that they could no longer afford staple goods.Vogel 2011 600–601 Moreover, in the new market economy, unprofitable state-owned enterprises were pressured to cut costs. This threatened a vast proportion of the population that relied on the "iron rice bowl", and instilled fear of potential layoffs coined in Chinese as "xiagang" (下岗), which would imply the loss of social benefits such as job security, medical care, and subsidised housing.Vogel 2011 600–601 Social disenfranchisement and legitimacy crisis New Enlightenment (China) thumb|A slogan inside the Former Residence of Hu Yaobang, a leading reformist whose death triggered the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 In 1978, reformist leaders had envisioned that intellectuals would play a leading role in guiding the country through reforms, but this did not happen as planned.D. Zhao 2001 81 On one hand, the massive New Enlightenment movement led by intellectuals promoted a variety of liberal philosophies and values that challenged the socialist ideology, ranging from democracy, humanism, universal values such as freedom and human rights, to Total Westernisation;Li Huaiyin https://academic.oup.com/hawaii-scholarship-online/book/15223/chapter-abstract/169722777?redirectedFrom=fulltext Reinventing Modern China: Imagination and Authenticity in Chinese Historical Writing October 2012 University of Hawaiʻi Press 9780824836085 6 Challenging the Revolutionary Orthodoxy: "New Enlightenment" Historiography in the 1980s 7 October 2024 30 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241007174903/https://academic.oup.com/hawaii-scholarship-online/book/15223/chapter-abstract/169722777?redirectedFrom=fulltext live in response, since the beginning of the reforms, Deng Xiaoping in 1979 proposed the Four Cardinal Principles to limit the political liberalisation.Lo Carlos W. H. 1992 Deng Xiaoping's Ideas on Law: China on the Threshold of a Legal Order https://www.jstor.org/stable/2644947 Asian Survey 32 7 649–665 10.2307/2644947 2644947 0004-4687 subscription On the other hand, despite the opening of new universities and increased enrollment,D. Zhao 2001 82 the state-directed education system did not produce enough graduates to meet increased demand in the areas of agriculture, light industry, services, and foreign investment.D. Zhao 2001 84 The job market was especially limited for students specializing in social sciences and the humanities.D. Zhao 2001 82 Moreover, private companies no longer needed to accept students assigned to them by the state, and many high-paying jobs were offered based on nepotism and favouritism.D. Zhao 2001 89 Gaining a good state-assigned placement meant navigating a highly inefficient bureaucracy that gave power to officials who had little expertise in areas under their jurisdiction.Vogel 2011 600–601 Facing a dismal job market and limited chances of going abroad, intellectuals and students had a greater vested interest in political issues. Small study groups, such as the "Democracy Salon" (民主沙龙 Mínzhǔ Shālóng) and the "Lawn Salon" (no 草地沙龙 Cǎodì Shālóng), began appearing on Beijing university campuses.D. Zhao 2001 137 These organisations motivated the students to get involved politically.D. Zhao 2001 127 Simultaneously, the party's nominally socialist ideology faced a legitimacy crisis as it gradually adopted capitalist practices.Wang 2006 57 Private enterprise gave rise to profiteers who took advantage of lax regulations and who often flaunted their wealth in front of those who were less well off.Vogel 2011 600–601 Popular discontent was brewing over unfair wealth distribution. Greed, not skill, appeared to be the most crucial factor in success. There was widespread public disillusionment concerning the country's future. People wanted change, yet the power to define "the correct path" continued to rest solely in the unelected government's hands.Wang 2006 57 The comprehensive and wide-ranging reforms created political differences over the pace of marketisation and the control over the ideology that came with it, opening a deep chasm within the central leadership. The reformers ("the right", led by Hu Yaobang) favoured political liberalisation and a plurality of ideas as a channel to voice popular discontent and pressed for further reforms. The conservatives ("the left", led by Chen Yun) said that the reforms had gone too far and advocated a return to greater state control to ensure social stability and to better align with the party's socialist ideology. Both sides needed the backing of paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to carry out important policy decisions.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 1986 student demonstrations 1986 Chinese student demonstrations In mid-1986, astrophysics professor Fang Lizhi returned from a position at Princeton University and began a personal tour of universities in China, speaking about liberty, human rights, and the separation of powers. Fang was part of a wide undercurrent within the elite intellectual community that thought China's poverty and underdevelopment, and the disaster of the Cultural Revolution, were a direct result of China's authoritarian political system and rigid command economy.D. Zhao 2001 64, 215 The view that political reform was the only answer to China's ongoing problems gained widespread appeal among students, as Fang's recorded speeches became widely circulated throughout the country.E. Cheng 2009 33 In response, Deng Xiaoping warned that Fang was blindly worshipping Western lifestyles, capitalism, and multi-party systems while undermining China's socialist ideology, traditional values, and the party's leadership.E. Cheng 2009 33 In December 1986, inspired by Fang and other "people-power" movements worldwide, student demonstrators staged protests against the slow pace of reform. The issues were wide-ranging and included demands for economic liberalisation, democracy, and the rule of law.Wang 2006 56–57 While the protests were initially contained in Hefei, where Fang lived, they quickly spread to Shanghai, Beijing, and other major cities. Throughout the demonstrations, broadcasts by the Voice of America news outlet became a key source of information for student protesters.Protesting Chinese Relying on VOA https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/12/30/protesting-chinese-relying-on-voa/dbb85666-2d1f-47b6-82d0-3b5373b8e5b7/ Washington Post General Secretary Hu Yaobang was blamed for showing a "soft" attitude and mishandling the protests, thus undermining social stability. He was denounced thoroughly by conservatives and was forced to resign as general secretary on 16 January 1987. The party began the "Anti-bourgeois liberalisation campaign", aiming at Hu, political liberalisation, and Western-inspired ideas in general.Spence 1999 685 The campaign stopped student protests and restricted political activity, but Hu remained popular among intellectuals, students, and Communist Party progressives.D. Zhao 2001 138 Political reforms History of the People's Republic of China#Political reforms thumb|upright=.7|Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) was the Paramount Leader of China. |alt= On 18 August 1980, Deng Xiaoping gave a speech titled "On the Reform of the Party and State Leadership System" ("no 党和国家领导制度改革") at a full meeting of the CCP Politburo in Beijing, launching political reforms in China.On the Reform of the System of Party and State Leadership http://en.people.cn/dengxp/vol2/text/b1460.html Deng Xiaoping en.people.cn live https://web.archive.org/web/20180302215352/http://en.people.cn/dengxp/vol2/text/b1460.html 2 March 2018 29 April 2020Ng-Quinn Michael 1982 Deng Xiaoping's Political Reform and Political Order Asian Survey 22 12 1187–1205 10.2307/2644047 2644047 0004-4687Whyte Martin King 1993 Deng Xiaoping: The Social Reformer The China Quarterly 135 135 515–535 10.1017/S0305741000013898 654100 135471151 0305-7410 He called for a systematic revision of China's constitution, criticizing bureaucracy, centralistion of power, and patriarchy, while proposing term limits for the leading positions in China and advocating democratic centralism and collective leadership. In December 1982, the fourth and current Constitution of China, known as the 1982 Constitution, was passed by the 5th National People's Congress.Finch George Modern Chinese Constitutionalism: Reflections of Economic Change 2007 Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution 15 1 75–110 26211714 1521-0235Shigong Jiang 2014 Chinese-Style Constitutionalism: On Backer's Chinese Party-State Constitutionalism Modern China 40 2 133–167 10.1177/0097700413511313 24575589 144236160 0097-7004 In the first half of 1986, Deng repeatedly called for the revival of political reforms, as further economic reforms were hindered by the original political system with an increasing trend of corruption and economic inequality.zh:邓小平为什么重提政治体制改革? https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20140224/cc24wuwei/ Wu Wei 18 March 2014 The New York Times zh live https://web.archive.org/web/20191021030735/https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20140224/cc24wuwei/ 21 October 2019 3 May 2020zh:鲍彤纪念六四, 兼谈邓小平与中国的腐败 https://cn.nytimes.com/opinion/20150603/cc03bao/ Bao Tong 4 June 2015 The New York Times zh live https://web.archive.org/web/20191023030740/https://cn.nytimes.com/opinion/20150603/cc03bao/ 23 October 2019 3 May 2020 A five-man committee to study the feasibility of political reform was established in September 1986; the members included Zhao Ziyang, Hu Qili, Tian Jiyun, Bo Yibo and Peng Chong.Yan Jiaqi https://books.google.com/books?id=SmRNTfW8UWkC&q=Zhao+Ziyang,+Hu+Qili,+Tian+Jiyun,+Bo+Yibo+and+Peng+Chong&pg=PA120 Toward a Democratic China: The Intellectual Autobiography of Yan Jiaqi 1992 University of Hawaii Press 978-0824815011 en 30 September 2020 1 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201001094815/https://books.google.com/books?id=SmRNTfW8UWkC&q=Zhao+Ziyang%2C+Hu+Qili%2C+Tian+Jiyun%2C+Bo+Yibo+and+Peng+Chong&pg=PA120 liveNing Lou https://books.google.com/books?id=Bcl8jLxcXboC&q=Zhao+Ziyang,+Hu+Qili,+Tian+Jiyun,+Bo+Yibo+and+Peng+Chong&pg=PA143 Chinese Democracy and the Crisis of 1989: Chinese and American Reflections 1993 SUNY Press 978-0791412695 en 30 September 2020 1 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201001094843/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bcl8jLxcXboC&q=Zhao+Ziyang%2C+Hu+Qili%2C+Tian+Jiyun%2C+Bo+Yibo+and+Peng+Chong&pg=PA143 live Deng's intention was to boost administrative efficiency, further separate responsibilities of the Party and the government, and eliminate bureaucracy.zh:赵紫阳与邓小平的两条政改路线 https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20141215/cc15wuwei41/ Wu Wei 15 December 2014 The New York Times zh live https://web.archive.org/web/20191021030736/https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20141215/cc15wuwei41/ 21 October 2019 3 May 2020zh:邓小平谈不要照搬三权分立 https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20140707/cc07wuwei19/ Wu Wei 7 July 2014 The New York Times zh live https://web.archive.org/web/20191216165803/https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20140707/cc07wuwei19/ 16 December 2019 3 May 2020 Although he spoke in terms of the rule of law and democracy, Deng delimited the reforms within the one-party system and opposed the implementation of Western-style constitutionalism.Tiananmen 30 years on: A China that's averse to political reforms – for now https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/a-china-thats-averse-to-political-reforms-for-now Hermes Auto 4 June 2019 The Straits Times en 3 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190608041644/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/a-china-thats-averse-to-political-reforms-for-now 8 June 2019 live In October 1987, at the 13th National Congress of the CCP, Zhao Ziyang gave a report drafted by Bao Tong on the political reforms.Schram Stuart R. 1988 China after the 13th Congress The China Quarterly 114 114 177–197 10.1017/S0305741000026758 654441 154818820 0305-7410Dirlik Arif 2019 Postsocialism? Reflections on 'socialism with Chinese characteristics' Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars 21 33–44 10.1080/14672715.1989.10413190 free In his speech titled "Advance Along the Road of Socialism with Chinese characteristics" ("no 沿着有中国特色的社会主义道路前进"), Zhao argued that socialism in China was still in its primary stage and, taking Deng's speech in 1980 as a guideline, detailed steps to be taken for political reform, including promoting the rule of law and the separation of powers, imposing de-centralisation, and improving the election system. At this Congress, Zhao was elected to be the CCP General Secretary.1987: 13th CPC National Congress starts – China.org.cn http://www.china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_congress/2012-10/25/content_26890790.htm china.org.cn 4 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20121105134449/http://china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_congress/2012-10/25/content_26890790.htm 5 November 2012 live Funding and support Funding of student organizations during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre During the demonstrations, protesters received a significant amount of support from domestic and outside sources.Qiping, Luo., Yantting, Mai., Meifen, Liang., Li Peter., trans., Fons Lampoo., "Student Organizations and Strategies," China Information Vol 5, No 2 (1990) The Chinese University in Hong Kong donated HK$10,000 by early May,Goldman, Merle, Sowing the Seeds of Democracy in China. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1994313 and groups such as the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were founded in support of the protests. Funding also came from the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and countries across Europe.Zhang Liang, "An Emergency Report of the Beijing Party Committee" in The Tiananmen Papers (New York: Public Affairs, 2001). pp. 334–5. The Chinese Alliance for Democracy (CAD), a New York–based overseas Chinese NGO, provided financial support for the protests and organized rallies in both New York and Washington, D.C.Chen, J. (2014). The Overseas Chinese Democracy Movement after Thirty Years: New Trends at Low Tide. Asian Survey. In April, Liu Xiaobo and Hu Ping, one of CAD's leaders, jointly published an "Open Letter to Chinese University Students", urging protesters to unite, build on their achievements, and strive to advance freedom within their campuses.Perry Link The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo https://dokumen.pub/i-have-no-enemies-the-life-and-legacy-of-liu-xiaobo-0231206348-9780231206341.html 5 March 2025 12 January 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260112012737/https://dokumen.pub/i-have-no-enemies-the-life-and-legacy-of-liu-xiaobo-0231206348-9780231206341.html live Beginning of the 1989 protests Death of Hu Yaobang + Student leadersNameOrigin and affiliationChai LingShandong; Beijing Normal UniversityWu'erkaixi (Örkesh)Xinjiang; Beijing Normal UniversityWang DanBeijing; Peking UniversityFeng CongdeSichuan; Peking UniversityShen TongBeijing; Peking UniversityWang YoucaiZhejiang; Peking UniversityLi LuHebei; Nanjing UniversityZhou YongjunChina University of Political Science and Law After Hu Yaobang's sudden death of a heart attack on 15 April 1989, students reacted strongly, most believing his death was related to his forced resignation.Calhoun 1989 Hu's death provided the initial impetus for students to gather in large numbers.Pan 2008 274 On university campuses, many posters appeared eulogizing Hu, calling for honouring Hu's legacy. Within days, most posters were about broader political issues, such as corruption, democracy, and freedom of the press.D. Zhao 2001 147 Small, spontaneous gatherings to mourn Hu began on 15 April around the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square. On the same day, many students at Peking University (PKU) and Tsinghua University joined the gathering in Tiananmen Square in a piecemeal fashion. Small, organised student gatherings also took place in Xi'an and Shanghai on 16 April. On 17 April, students at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) made a large wreath to commemorate Hu Yaobang. Its wreath-laying ceremony was on 17 April, and a larger-than-expected crowd assembled.D. Zhao 2001 148 At 5 pm, 500 CUPL students reached the eastern gate of the Great Hall of the People, near Tiananmen Square, to mourn Hu. The gathering featured speakers from various backgrounds who gave public orations commemorating Hu and discussed social problems. However, it was soon deemed obstructive to the Great Hall's operation, so police tried to persuade the students to disperse. Starting on the night of 17 April, three thousand PKU students marched from the campus towards Tiananmen Square, and soon nearly a thousand students from Tsinghua joined. Upon arrival, they soon joined forces with those already gathered at the square. As its size grew, the gathering gradually evolved into a protest, as students began to draft a list of pleas and suggestions (the Seven Demands) for the government: Affirm Hu Yaobang's views on democracy and freedom as correct. Admit that the campaigns against spiritual pollution and bourgeois liberalisation had been wrong. Publish information on the income of state leaders and their family members. Allow privately run newspapers and stop press censorship. Increase funding for education and raise intellectuals' pay. End restrictions on demonstrations in Beijing. Provide objective coverage of students in official media.L. Zhang 2001D. Zhao 2001 148 On the morning of 18 April, students remained in the square. Some gathered around the Monument to the People's Heroes, singing patriotic songs and listening to student organizers' impromptu speeches. Others gathered at the Great Hall. Meanwhile, a few thousand students gathered at Xinhua Gate, the entrance to Zhongnanhai, the seat of the party leadership, where they demanded dialogue with the administration. On 19 April, they attempted to storm Zhongnanhai several times but were pushed back by police.Beijing police suppress rally: [FINAL edition]. (1989, Apr 19). The Windsor Star.The, B. S. (1989, Apr 20). Activists scatter as police columns sweep Beijing: [HOME edition]. Newsday Meanwhile, other students held aloft a banner that read "Freedom & Democracy Enlightenment" on the Monument, under a giant portrait of Hu Yaobang.Westcott Ben 2019-06-03 Tiananmen Square massacre: How Beijing turned on its own people https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/asia/tiananmen-square-june-1989-intl/index.html 2024-10-31 CNN en 2 September 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240902094431/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/asia/tiananmen-square-june-1989-intl/index.html live On 20 April, most students had been persuaded to leave Xinhua Gate. To disperse about 200 students that remained, police used batons; minor clashes were reported. Many students felt abused by the police, and rumours about police brutality spread quickly. The incident angered students on campus, where those who were not politically active decided to join the protests.D. Zhao 2001 149 Additionally, a group of workers calling themselves the Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation issued two handbills challenging the central leadership.Walder Gong 1993 1–2 Hu's state funeral took place on 22 April. On the evening of 21 April, some 100,000 students marched on Tiananmen Square, ignoring orders from Beijing municipal authorities that the square was to be closed for the funeral. The funeral, which took place inside the Great Hall and was attended by the leadership, was broadcast live to the students. General Secretary Zhao Ziyang delivered the eulogy. The funeral seemed rushed, lasting only 40 minutes, as emotions ran high in the square.The Gate of Heavenly 1995D. Zhao 2001 152–153Li 2010 21 May entry Security cordoned off the east entrance to the Great Hall of the People, but several students pressed forward. A few were allowed to cross the police line. Three of these students, Zhou Yongjun, Guo Haifeng, and Zhang Zhiyong, knelt on the steps of the Great Hall to present a petition and demanded to see Premier Li Peng.D. Zhao 2001 153 Analyst Richard Baum described their actions as "...a mock-ceremonial remonstrance... presenting their scrolled-up demands on hands and knees in the stylized, obsequious manner of an imperial petition."Baum 1996 248 Political scientist Lucian Pye similarly described the act as "...in line with the classic Chinese tradition of aggrieved parties wailing before the Yamen door, of publicly dramatizing their unhappiness by petitioning officialdom... [they] sincerely believed that the officials would have to respond by meeting with them."Pye 1990 337  Standing beside them, a fourth student (Wu'erkaixi) made a brief, emotional speech begging for Li Peng to come out and speak with them. The larger number of students still in the square but outside the cordon were at times emotional, shouting demands or slogans and rushing toward police. Wu'erkaixi calmed the crowd as they waited for the Premier to emerge. However, no leaders emerged from the Great Hall, leaving the students disappointed and angry; some called for a classroom boycott.D. Zhao 2001 153 On 21 April, students began organizing under the banners of formal organisations. On 23 April, in a meeting of about 40 students from 21 universities, the Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation (also known as the Union) was formed. It elected CUPL student Zhou Yongjun as chair. Wang Dan and Wu'erkaixi also emerged as leaders. The Union then called for a general classroom boycott at all Beijing universities. Such an independent organisation operating outside of party jurisdiction alarmed the leadership.D. Zhao 2001 154 Rioting on 22 April On 22 April, near dusk, serious rioting broke out in Changsha and Xi'an. In Xi'an, arson by rioters destroyed cars and houses, and looting occurred in shops near the city's Xihua Gate. At Xincheng Square, a broadcast of Hu Yaobang's memorial was disrupted by rioters who attempted to force their way into a provincial government compound, smashing windows and setting parts of it on fire.Rioters in china attack local government office: [final edition]. (1989, Apr 23). The Gazette They also stoned a bus filled with tourists near the square. The rioting destroyed 20 houses and 10 vehicles, and 130 policemen were reported injured. In Changsha, crowds following a student march smashed windows of shops and cars, and a bus was reportedly commandeered.130 HURT AS CHINESE RIOTS GROW. (1989, Apr 23). St.Louis Post - Dispatch Chinese television showed images of the damage and injuries to shopkeepers.Uli Schmetzer, C. h. T. (1989, Apr 24). Chinese riots: [NORTH SPORTS FINAL, C edition]. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext) 38 stores were ransacked in the rioting. Over 350 people were arrested in both Changsha and Xi'an for looting.Z. Zhao 2009 In Wuhan, university students organised protests against the provincial government. As the situation became more volatile nationally, Zhao Ziyang called numerous meetings of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). Zhao stressed three points: discourage students from further protests and ask them to go back to class, use all measures necessary to combat rioting, and open forms of dialogue with students at different levels of government.Z. Zhao 2009 Premier Li Peng called upon Zhao to condemn protestors and recognize the need to take more serious action. Zhao dismissed Li's views. Despite calls for him to remain in Beijing, Zhao left for a scheduled state visit to North Korea on 23 April.Liu 1990 505–521 26 April Editorial April 26 Editorial 26 April Editorial left General Secretary Zhao Ziyang (left) who pushed for dialogue with students and Premier Li Peng (right) who declared martial law and backed military action 150 Zhao Ziyang (1985).jpg Zhao Ziyang 166 Lipeng.jpg Li Peng Zhao's departure to North Korea left Li Peng as the acting executive authority in Beijing. On 24 April, Li Peng and the PSC met with Beijing Party Secretary Li Ximing and mayor Chen Xitong to gauge the situation at the square. The municipal officials wanted a quick resolution to the crisis and framed the protests as a conspiracy to overthrow China's political system and prominent party leaders, including Deng Xiaoping. In Zhao's absence, the PSC agreed to take firm action against the protesters.Liu 1990 505–521 On the morning of 25 April, President Yang Shangkun and Premier Li Peng met with Deng at the latter's residence. Deng endorsed a hardline stance and said an appropriate warning must be disseminated via mass media to curb further demonstrations.Vogel 2011 603–606 The meeting firmly established the first official evaluation of the protests, and highlighted Deng's having "final say" on important issues. Li Peng subsequently ordered Deng's views to be drafted as a communique and issued to all high-level Communist Party officials to mobilize the party apparatus against protesters. On 26 April, the party's official newspaper People's Daily issued a front-page editorial titled "It is necessary to take a clear-cut stand against disturbances". The language in the editorial effectively branded the student movement to be an anti-party, anti-government revolt.26 April Editorial 1995 The editorial invoked memories of the Cultural Revolution, using similar rhetoric that had been used during the 1976 Tiananmen Incident—an event that was initially branded an anti-government conspiracy but was later rehabilitated as "patriotic" under Deng's leadership.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 The article enraged students, who interpreted it as a direct indictment of the protests and its cause. The editorial backfired: instead of scaring students into submission, it antagonised the students and put them squarely against the government.D. Zhao 2001 155 The editorial's polarizing nature made it a major sticking point for the remainder of the protests.Vogel 2011 603–606 27 April demonstrations April 27 demonstrations 27 April demonstrations thumb|upright|Han Dongfang, founder of the Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation Organized by the Union on 27 April, some 50,000–100,000 students from all Beijing universities marched through the streets of the capital to Tiananmen Square, breaking through lines set up by police, and receiving widespread public support along the way, particularly from factory workers.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 The student leaders, eager to show the patriotic nature of the movement, also toned down anti-Communist slogans, choosing to present a message of "anti-corruption" and "anti-cronyism", but "pro-party".D. Zhao 2001 155 In a twist of irony, student factions who genuinely called for the overthrow of the Communist Party gained traction due to the 26 April editorial.D. Zhao 2001 155 The stunning success of the march forced the government into making concessions and meeting with student representatives. On 29 April, State Council spokesman Yuan Mu met with appointed representatives of government-sanctioned student associations. While the talks discussed a wide range of issues, including the editorial, the Xinhua Gate incident, and freedom of the press, they achieved few substantive results. Independent student leaders such as Wu'erkaixi refused to attend.D. Zhao 2001 157 The government's tone grew increasingly conciliatory when Zhao Ziyang returned from Pyongyang on 30 April and reasserted his authority. In Zhao's view, the hardliner approach was not working, and the concession was the only alternative.D. Zhao 2001 156 Zhao asked that the press be allowed to positively report the movement and delivered two sympathetic speeches on 3–4 May. In the speeches, Zhao said that the students' concerns about corruption were legitimate and that the student movement was patriotic in nature.Vogel 2011 608 The speeches essentially negated the message presented by 26 April Editorial. While some 100,000 students marched on the streets of Beijing on 4 May to commemorate the May Fourth Movement and repeated demands from earlier marches, many students were satisfied with the government's concessions. On 4 May, all Beijing universities except PKU and BNU announced the end of the classroom boycott. Subsequently, most students began to lose interest in the movement.D. Zhao 2001 159 Escalation of the protests Preparing for dialogue Dialogue between students and the government during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre The government was divided on how to respond to the movement as early as mid-April. After Zhao Ziyang's return from North Korea, tensions between the progressive camp and the conservative camp intensified. Those who supported continued dialogue and a soft approach with students rallied behind Zhao Ziyang, while hardliner conservatives opposed the movement rallied behind Premier Li Peng. Zhao and Li clashed at a PSC meeting on 1 May. Li maintained that the need for stability overrode all else, while Zhao said that the party should show support for increased democracy and transparency. Zhao pushed the case for further dialogue.Vogel 2011 608 In preparation for dialogue, the Union elected representatives to a formal delegation. However, there was some friction as the Union leaders were reluctant to let the delegation unilaterally take control of the movement.D. Zhao 2001 161 The movement was slowed by a change to a more deliberate approach, fractured by internal discord, and increasingly diluted by declining engagement from the student body at large. In this context, a group of charismatic leaders, including Wang Dan and Wu'erkaixi, desired to regain momentum. They also distrusted the government's offers of dialogue, dismissing them as merely a ploy designed to play for time and pacify the students. To break from the moderate and incremental approach now adopted by other major student leaders, these few began calling for a return to more confrontational tactics. They settled on a plan of mobilizing students for a hunger strike that would begin on 13 May.D. Zhao 2001 161–162 Early attempts to mobilize others to join them met with only modest success until Chai Ling made an emotional appeal on the night before the strike was scheduled to begin.D. Zhao 2001 163 Hunger strikes begin Tiananmen hunger strikes thumb|upright=.8|Photo of Pu Zhiqiang, student protester at Tiananmen, taken on 10 May. The words say: "We want the freedom of newspapers, freedom of associations, also to support the World Economic Herald, and support those just journalists." Students began the hunger strike on 13 May, two days before the highly publicised state visit by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Knowing that Gorbachev's welcoming ceremony was scheduled to be held on the square, student leaders wanted to use the hunger strike to force the government into meeting their demands. Moreover, the hunger strike gained widespread sympathy from the population at large and earned the student movement the moral high ground that it sought.E. Cheng 2009 612–614 By the afternoon of 13 May, some 300,000 were gathered at the square.D. Zhao 2001 167 Inspired by the events in Beijing, protests and strikes began at universities in other cities, with many students travelling to Beijing to join the demonstration. Generally, the Tiananmen Square demonstration was well ordered, with daily marches of students from various Beijing-area colleges displaying their support of the classroom boycott and the protesters' demands. The students sang The Internationale, the world socialist anthem, on their way to, and while at, the square.Amnesty International, 30 August 1989. Preliminary Findings on Killings of Unarmed Civilians, Arbitrary Arrests and Summary Executions Since 3 June 1989, p. 19. Afraid that the movement would spin out of control, Deng Xiaoping ordered the square to be cleared for Gorbachev's visit. Executing Deng's request, Zhao again used a soft approach and directed his subordinates to coordinate negotiations with students immediately.E. Cheng 2009 612–614 Zhao believed he could appeal to the students' patriotism. The students understood that signs of internal turmoil during the Sino-Soviet summit would embarrass the nation and not just the government. On the morning of 13 May, Yan Mingfu, head of the Communist Party's United Front, called an emergency meeting, gathering prominent student leaders and intellectuals, including Liu Xiaobo, Chen Ziming, and Wang Juntao.D. Zhao 2001 164 Yan said that the government was prepared to hold an immediate dialogue with student representatives. The Tiananmen welcoming ceremony for Gorbachev would be cancelled whether or not the students withdrew—in effect removing the bargaining power the students thought they possessed. The announcement sent the student leadership into disarray.D. Zhao 2001 165 Mikhail Gorbachev's visit 1989 Sino-Soviet Summit Press restrictions were loosened significantly from early to mid-May. State media began broadcasting footage sympathetic to protesters and the movement, including the hunger strikers. On 14 May, intellectuals led by Dai Qing gained permission from Hu Qili to bypass government censorship and air the progressive views of the nation's intellectuals in the Guangming Daily. The intellectuals then issued an urgent appeal for the students to leave the square in an attempt to deescalate the conflict.D. Zhao 2001 167 However, many students believed that the intellectuals were speaking for the government and refused to move. That evening, formal negotiations took place between government representatives led by Yan Mingfu and student representatives led by Shen Tong and Xiang Xiaoji. Yan affirmed the student movement's patriotic nature and pleaded for the students to withdraw from the square.D. Zhao 2001 165 While Yan's apparent sincerity for compromise satisfied some students, the meeting grew increasingly chaotic as competing student factions relayed uncoordinated and incoherent demands to the leadership. Shortly after student leaders learned that the event had not been broadcast nationally, as initially promised by the government, the meeting fell apart.D. Zhao 2001 169 Yan then personally went to the square to appeal to the students, even offering himself to be held hostage.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 Yan also took the student's pleas to Li Peng the next day, asking Li to consider formally retracting the 26 April Editorial and rebranding the movement as "patriotic and democratic"; Li refused.Li 2010 15 May entry The students remained in the square during the Gorbachev visit; his welcoming ceremony was held at the airport. The Sino-Soviet summit, the first of its kind in some 30 years, marked the normalisation of Sino-Soviet relations and was seen as a breakthrough of tremendous historical significance for China's leaders. However, its smooth proceedings were derailed by the student movement; this created a major embarrassment ("loss of face")Roberts 2011 300 for the leadership on the global stage and drove many moderates in government onto a more hardline path.D. Zhao 2001 170 The summit between Deng and Gorbachev took place at the Great Hall of the People amid the backdrop of commotion and protest in the square.E. Cheng 2009 612–614 When Gorbachev met with Zhao on 16 May, Zhao told him, and by extension the international press, that Deng was still the "paramount authority" in China. Deng felt that this remark was Zhao's attempt to shift blame for mishandling the movement to him. Zhao's defence against this accusation was that privately informing world leaders that Deng was the true centre of power was standard operating procedure; Li Peng had made nearly identical private statements to US president George H. W. Bush in February 1989.Sarotte 2012 165 Nevertheless, the statement marked a decisive split between the country's two most senior leaders.E. Cheng 2009 612–614 Gathering momentum From 17 May to 18 May, about a million Beijing residents, including PLA personnel, police officers, and lower party officials, demonstrated to call for the government to resume negotiations with the students.D. Zhao 2001 171 Many grassroots Party and Youth League organisations, as well as government-sponsored labour unions, encouraged their membership to demonstrate.D. Zhao 2001 171 In addition, several of China's non-Communist parties sent a letter to Li Peng to support the students. The Chinese Red Cross issued a special notice and sent in many personnel to provide medical services to the hunger strikers on the square. After the departure of Mikhail Gorbachev, many foreign journalists remained in the Chinese capital to cover the protests, shining an international spotlight on the movement. Western governments urged Beijing to exercise restraint.August 2021 The movement, on the wane at the end of April, now regained momentum. By 17 May, as students from across the country poured into the capital to join the movement, protests of various sizes occurred in some 400 Chinese cities.Thomas 2006 Students demonstrated at provincial party headquarters in Fujian, Hubei, and Xinjiang. Without a clearly articulated official position from the Beijing leadership, local authorities did not know how to respond. Because the demonstrations now included a wide array of social groups, each having its own set of grievances, it became increasingly unclear with whom the government should negotiate and what the demands were. The government, still split on how to deal with the movement, saw its authority and legitimacy gradually erode as the hunger strikers took the limelight and gained widespread sympathy.D. Zhao 2001 171 These combined circumstances put immense pressure on the authorities to act, and martial law was discussed as an appropriate response.D. Zhao 2001 181 Student leaders were put under close surveillance by the authorities; traffic cameras were used to perform surveillance on the square; and nearby restaurants, and wherever students gathered, were wiretapped.https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/tremble-and-obey/11174758 Four Corners Tremble & Obey 00:24:50 30 September 2019 8 October 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191008024233/https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/tremble-and-obey/11174758 live This surveillance led to the identification, capture, and punishment of protest participants.Richard Victor Ericson Kevin D. Haggerty The New Politics of Surveillance and Visibility 978-0802048783 204 2006 University of Toronto Press The situation seemed intractable, and the weight of taking decisive action fell on paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Matters came to a head on 17 May during a Politburo Standing Committee meeting at Deng's residence.Li 2010 17 May entry At the meeting, Zhao Ziyang's concessions-based strategy, which called for the retraction of the 26 April Editorial, was thoroughly criticised.Nathan 2002 2–48 Li Peng, Yao Yilin, and Deng asserted that by making a conciliatory speech to the Asian Development Bank, on 4 May, Zhao had exposed divisions within the top leadership and emboldened the students.Nathan 2002 2–48Z. Zhao 2009 25–34MacFarquhar 2011 443 Deng warned that "there is no way to back down now without the situation spiraling out of control", and so "the decision is to move troops into Beijing to declare martial law"Z. Zhao 2009 28 as a show of the government's no-tolerance stance.Nathan 2002 2–48 To justify martial law, the demonstrators were described as tools of "bourgeois liberalism" advocates who were pulling strings behind the scenes, as well as tools of elements within the party who wished to further their personal ambitions.Miles 1997 For the rest of his life, Zhao Ziyang maintained that the decision was ultimately in Deng's hands: among the five PSC members present at the meeting, he and Hu Qili opposed the imposition of martial law, Li Peng and Yao Yilin firmly supported it, and Qiao Shi remained carefully neutral and noncommittal. Deng appointed the latter three to carry out the decision.Z. Zhao 2009 28–30 On the evening of 17 May, the PSC met at Zhongnanhai to finalize plans for martial law. At the meeting, Zhao announced that he was ready to "take leave", citing he could not bring himself to carry out martial law.Nathan 2002 2–48 The elders in attendance at the meeting, Bo Yibo and Yang Shangkun, urged the PSC to follow Deng's orders.Nathan 2002 2–48 Zhao did not consider the inconclusive PSC vote to have legally binding implications for martial law;Ignatius 2009 x Yang Shangkun, in his capacity as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, mobilised the military to move into the capital.Higgins Andrew Obituary: Yang Shangkun https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-yang-shangkun-1198239.html 8 August 2022 The Independent 14 September 1998 1 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200201223506/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-yang-shangkun-1198239.html live Li Peng met with students for the first time on 18 May in an attempt to placate public concern over the hunger strike.D. Zhao 2001 181 During the talks, student leaders again demanded that the government rescind the 26 April Editorial and affirm the student movement as "patriotic". Li Peng said the government's main concern was sending the hunger strikers to hospitals. The discussions were confrontational and yielded little substantive progress,Brook 1998 41 but gained student leaders prominent airtime on national television.Pye 1990 343 By this point, those calling for the overthrow of the party and Li Peng and Deng became prominent both in Beijing and in other cities.Brook 1998 42–43 thumb|upright|Wen Jiabao, then chief of the Party's General Office, accompanied Zhao Ziyang to meet students in the square, surviving the political purge of the party's liberals and later serving as Premier from 2003 to 2013. In the early morning of 19 May, Zhao Ziyang went to Tiananmen in what became his political swan song. He was accompanied by Wen Jiabao. Li Peng also went to the square but left shortly thereafter. At 4:50am Zhao made a speech with a bullhorn to a crowd of students, urging them to end the hunger strike.Ignatius 2009 xv He told the students that they were still young and urged them to stay healthy and not to sacrifice themselves without due concern for their futures. Zhao's emotional speech was applauded by some students. It would be his last public appearance.Ignatius 2009 xv 20% right Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask you to forgive us. All I want to say is that students are getting very weak. It is the 7th day since you went on a hunger strike. You can't continue like this. [...] You are still young, there are still many days yet to come, you must live healthily, and see the day when China accomplishes the Four Modernisations. You are not like us. We are already old. It doesn't matter to us anymore. 1 —Zhao Ziyang at Tiananmen Square, 19 May 1989 Outside Beijing Gifts and donations from outside Mainland China during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests On 19 April, the editors of the World Economic Herald, a magazine close to reformists, decided to publish a commemorative section on Hu. Inside was an article by Yan Jiaqi, which commented favourably on the Beijing student protests, and called for a reassessment of Hu's 1987 purge. Sensing the conservative political trends in Beijing, Jiang Zemin demanded that the article be censored, and many newspapers were printed with a blank page.Wright 1990 121–132 Jiang then suspended lead editor Qin Benli, his decisive action earning the trust of conservative party elders, who praised Jiang's loyalty. On 27 May, over 300,000 people in Hong Kong gathered at Happy Valley Racecourse for a gathering called the Concert for Democracy in China (民主歌聲獻中華). Many Hong Kong celebrities sang songs and expressed their support for the students in Beijing.dragonmui Playlist of 'Democratic Songs for China' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVjUGz_bHnU 22 October 2018 YouTube 27 February 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190227230209/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVjUGz_bHnU liveMacklin Simon Tang John Organisers ready for mass concert South China Morning Post 27 May 1989 3 The following day, a procession of 1.5 million people, one fourth of Hong Kong's population, led by Martin Lee, Szeto Wah, and other organisation leaders, paraded through Hong Kong Island.Yeung Chris Another vast crowd joins world-wide show of solidarity South China Morning Post 29 May 1989 1 Across the world, especially where ethnic Chinese lived, people gathered and protested. Many governments, including those of the United States and Japan, issued travel warnings against travelling to China. Military action People's Liberation Army at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Martial law The Chinese government declared martial law on 20 May and mobilised at least 30 divisions from five of the country's seven military regions.Wu 2009 30–31 At least 14 of the PLA's 24 army corps contributed troops.Wu 2009 30–31 Guangzhou's civil aviation authorities suspended civil airline travel to prepare for transporting military units.Brook 1998 80–82 The army's initial entry into the capital was blocked in the suburbs by throngs of protesters. Seeing no way forward, the authorities ordered the army to withdraw on 24 May. All government forces then retreated to bases outside the city.Richelson Evans 1999Thomas 2006 Defying martial law, students entertained themselves with music, drinking, and smoking on the square.Journal of Cinema and Media Studies Qinna Shen 2021 Female Desire, Pop Rock, and the Tiananmen Generation: The Synergy of Sexual and Political Revolutions in the Banned Chinese-German Film Summer Palace (2006) 48–74 https://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=german_pubs PDF 60 6 July 2025 10 July 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240710101844/https://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=german_pubs live At the same time, internal divisions intensified within the student movement itself. By late May, the students became increasingly disorganised with no clear leadership or unified course of action. Moreover, Tiananmen Square was overcrowded and facing serious hygiene problems. Hou Dejian suggested an open election of the student leadership to speak for the movement but was met with opposition.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 Meanwhile, Wang Dan moderated his position, ostensibly sensing the impending military action and its consequences. He advocated for a temporary withdrawal from Tiananmen Square to re-group on campus, but this was opposed by hardline student factions who wanted to hold the square. The increasing internal friction would lead to struggles for control of the loudspeakers in the middle of the square in a series of "mini-coups": whoever controlled the loudspeakers was "in charge" of the movement. Some students would wait at the train station to greet arrivals of students from other parts of the country in an attempt to enlist factional support.The Gate of Heavenly 1995 Student groups began accusing each other of ulterior motives, such as collusion with the government and trying to gain personal fame from the movement. Some students even tried to oust Chai Ling and Feng Congde from their leadership positions in an attempted kidnapping, an action Chai called a "well-organised and premeditated plot".The Gate of Heavenly 1995 Unlike more moderate student leaders, Chai seemed willing to allow the student movement to end in a violent confrontation.Han Hua 1990 298 In an interview given in late May, Chai stated: What we actually are hoping for is bloodshed, the moment when the government is ready to brazenly butcher the people. Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes. Chai Ling The Gate of Heavenly Peace However, she felt that she was unable to convince her fellow students of this.Han Hua 1990 327 She also claimed that her expectation of a violent crackdown was something she had heard from Li Lu and not an idea of her own.Chai 2011 165 On 30 May, the protesters erected the 10-metre-tall Goddess of Democracy at Tiananmen Square made of foam and papier-mâché. 1 June Li Peng's Report On 1 June, Li Peng issued a report titled "On the True Nature of the Turmoil", which was circulated to every member of the Politburo.L. Zhang 2001 434 The report concludes that the demonstrators' leadership, referred to as a "tiny minority", had "organised and plotted the turmoil", and that they were using the square as a base to provoke conflict in order to create an international impact.L. Zhang 2001 435 It also maintains that they had formed connections with criminal elements and used funding from foreign and domestic sources to improve their communications equipment and procure weapons.L. Zhang 2001 437 MSS Report On the same day, another report, issued by Ministry of State Security chief Jia Chunwang, was submitted to the party leadership, and likewise sent to every member of the Politburo, as well as to senior Party elders, including Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian and Chen Yun.L. Zhang 2001 445 The report emphasized the danger of infiltration of bourgeois liberalism into China and the negative effect that Western ideological influence, particularly from the United States, had on the students.L. Zhang 2001 446 The MSS had determined that the United States had infiltrated the student movement by various means,L. Zhang 2001 447 including the use of the U.S. government-owned Voice of America radio station as an instrument of psychological warfare, as well as the cultivation of pro-American ideologies among Chinese students studying abroad as a long-term strategy.L. Zhang 2001 449 Furthermore, the report also resolved that U.S. intelligence had made efforts to get close to leaders of several Chinese institutions; according to the report, a CIA agent from the U.S. Embassy had nearly fifty contacts between 1981 and 1988, fifteen of whom were associated with the Economic Restructuring Commission.L. Zhang 2001 450 The report advocated for immediate military action,L. Zhang 2001 455-462 and was viewed as providing one of the best justifications for it.L. Zhang 2001 445 2–3 June In conjunction with the plan to clear the square by force, the Politburo received word from army headquarters stating that troops were ready to help stabilize the capital and that they understood the necessity and legality of martial law to overcome the turmoil.L. Zhang 2001 349 On 2 June, with increasing action on the part of protesters, the government saw that it was time to act. Protests broke out as newspapers published articles that called for the students to leave Tiananmen Square and end the movement. Many of the students in the square were not willing to leave and were outraged by the articles.L. Zhang 2001 353 They were also outraged by the Beijing Dailys 1 June article "Tiananmen, I Cry for You", which was written by a fellow student who had become disillusioned with the movement, as he thought it was chaotic and disorganised.L. Zhang 2001 353 In response to the articles, thousands of students lined the streets of Beijing to protest against leaving the square.L. Zhang 2001 362 Three intellectuals—Liu Xiaobo, Zhou Duo, and Gao Xin—and Taiwanese singer Hou Dejian declared a second hunger strike to revive the movement.Brook 1998 94 After weeks of occupying the square, the students were tired, and internal rifts opened between moderate and hardline student groups.Mathews 1989 In their declaration speech, the hunger strikers openly criticised the government's suppression of the movement, to remind the students that their cause was worth fighting for and pushing them to continue their occupation of the square.L. Zhang 2001 363 On 2 June, Deng Xiaoping and several party elders met with the three PSC members—Li Peng, Qiao Shi, and Yao Yilin—who remained after Zhao Ziyang and Hu Qili had been ousted. The committee members agreed to clear the square so "the riot can be halted and order be restored to the Capital".Wu: Clear the SquareL. Zhang 2001 355–362 They also agreed that the square needed to be cleared as peacefully as possible; but if protesters did not cooperate, the troops would be authorised to use force to complete the job.L. Zhang 2001 362 That day, state-run newspapers reported that troops were positioned in ten key areas in the city.L. Zhang 2001 362Mathews 1989 Units of the 27th, 65th, and 24th armies were secretly moved into the Great Hall of the People on the west side of the square and the Ministry of Public Security compound east of the square.Wu: Troop Movements On the evening of 2 June, an accident occurred in which a PAP jeep ran onto a sidewalk, killing three civilian pedestrians and injuring a fourth. This incident sparked fear that the army and the police were trying to advance into Tiananmen Square.L. Zhang 2001 482: "A Mitsubishi jeep belonging to the People's Armed Police ran onto a sidewalk at Muxidi, killing three pedestrians and seriously injuring one." Student leaders issued emergency orders to set up roadblocks at major intersections to prevent the entry of troops into the centre of the city.L. Zhang 2001 482 On the morning of 3 June, students and citizens intercepted and questioned a busload of plainclothed soldiers at Xinjiekou. Isolated pockets of soldiers were similarly surrounded and interrogated.L. Zhang 2001 483The Gate of Heavenly 1995 The soldiers were beaten by the crowd, as were Beijing security personnel who attempted to aid the soldiers. Some of the soldiers were kidnapped when they attempted to head for the hospital.L. Zhang 2001 482 Several other buses carrying weapons, gear, and supplies were intercepted and boarded around Tiananmen.L. Zhang 2001 482 At 1 pm, a crowd intercepted one of these buses at Liubukou, and several men raised military helmets on bayonets to show the rest of the crowd.L. Zhang 2001 484 At 2:30 pm, a clash broke out between protesters and police.L. Zhang 2001 482 The police attempted to disperse the crowd with tear gas, but demonstrators counterattacked and threw rocks, forcing them to retreat inside the Zhongnanhai compound through the west gate.L. Zhang 2001 484Kristof: Residents Block ArmyThe Gate of Heavenly 1995 At 5:30 pm, several thousand troops awaiting orders began to retreat from the Great Hall of the People.L. Zhang 2001 484Richelson Evans 1999 That evening, the government leaders continued to monitor the situation.Timothy Brook interview 2006 3–4 June BBC News archive footage In the evening on 3 June, the government issued an emergency announcement urging citizens to "stay off the streets and away from Tiananmen Square".Nathan 2002 489 Meanwhile, protesters made their own broadcasts across various university campuses in Beijing to call for students and citizens to arm themselves and assemble at intersections and the Square.Nathan 2002 489 Chang'an Avenue thumb|The Type 59 main battle tank, on display at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in western Beijing, was deployed by the People's Liberation Army on 3 June 1989. thumb|Type 63 armoured personnel carrier deployed by the People's Liberation Army in Beijing in 1989 thumb|Type 56 assault rifles, used by soldiers during the crackdown On 3 June, at 8:00 p.m., the 38th Army, led by interim commander Zhang Meiyuan, began to advance from military office compounds in Shijingshan and Fentai District in western Beijing along the western extension of Chang'an Avenue toward the square to the east.Nathan 2002 492 At 9:30 p.m, this army encountered a blockade set up by protesters at Gongzhufen in Haidian District, and made an attempt to break through. Fighting erupted when protesters, in an effort to push the army back, threw rocks, molotov cocktails, and other objects at troops armed with anti-riot gear, who began firing rubber bullets and tear gas and attacking with electric prods and batons.Nepstad Sharon Erickson The Tiananmen Tragedy and the Failed Uprising in China Oxford Academic 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199778201.003.0002 https://academic.oup.com/book/6577/chapter-abstract/150543362?redirectedFrom=fulltext subscription Chinese troops open fire killing 13, wounding 200: [4*C edition 1]. (1989, Jun 03). The Vancouver Sun Other troops fired warning shots into the air, which was ineffective. At 10:10 pm, an army officer picked up a megaphone and urged the protesters to disperse.Nathan Andrew J. Link Perry Liang Zhang The Tiananmen Papers Foreign Affairs 2002 80 1 2–48 10.2307/20050041 20050041 4 July 2023 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 13 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230413094902/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20050041 live subscription At about 10:30 p.m., still being pummelled by rocks thrown by protesters, the 38th Army troops opened fire with live ammunition. The crowds were stunned that the army was using live ammunition and fell back towards Muxidi Bridge.Suettinger 2004 60 The troops used expanding bullets,Thomas 2006 prohibited by international lawLaws of War: Declaration on the Use of Bullets Which Expand or Flatten Easily in the Human Body https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/dec99-03.asp live 20 June 2020 3 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200703004653/https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/dec99-03.asp for use in warfare between countries but not for other uses.Expanding bullets http://www.weaponslaw.org/weapons/expanding-bullets live https://web.archive.org/web/20200621160750/http://www.weaponslaw.org/weapons/expanding-bullets 21 June 2020 Weapons Law Encyclopedia The advance of the army was again halted by another blockade at Muxidi, about 5 km west of the square.John Pomfret interview 2006 After protesters repelled an attempt by an anti-riot brigade to storm the bridge,Nathan 2002 492 regular troops advanced on the crowd and turned their weapons on them. Soldiers alternated between shooting into the air and firing directly at protesters.Nathan 2002 493Timothy Brook interview 2006John Pomfret interview 2006 As the army advanced, fatalities were recorded along Chang'an Avenue. The largest number occurred in the two-mile stretch of road running from Muxidi to Xidan, where "65 PLA trucks and 47 APCs ... were totally destroyed, and 485 other military vehicles were damaged."Baum 1996 283 Although troops advanced into Beijing from all directions, the majority of deaths during the night of 3 June occurred around the Muxidi area.D. Zhao 2001 203Richelson Evans 1999bTimothy Brook interview 2006Martel 2006Lim 2014a 38 Throughout the street fighting, demonstrators attacked troops with poles, rocks, and molotov cocktails; Jeff Widener reported witnessing rioters setting fire to military vehicles and beating the soldiers inside them to death."Tank Man" photographer reflects on 30 years since Tiananmen Square https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tank-man-photographer-reflects-on-30-years-since-tiananmen-square/ 9 July 2023 CBSN June 4, 2019 11 July 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240711075844/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tank-man-photographer-reflects-on-30-years-since-tiananmen-square/ live On one avenue in western Beijing, anti-government protestors torched a military convoy of more than 100 trucks and armoured vehicles.Burgess John 12 June 1989 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/06/12/images-vilify-protesters/33086896-3077-4166-a8af-b7245ff604d9/ Images Vilify Protesters; Chinese Launch Propaganda Campaign The Washington Post 14 January 2022 23 July 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220723152536/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/06/12/images-vilify-protesters/33086896-3077-4166-a8af-b7245ff604d9/ live They also hijacked an armoured personnel carrier, taking it on a joy ride. These scenes were captured on camera and broadcast by Chinese state television.Kristof Nicholas D. TURMOIL IN CHINA; FOREBODING GRASPS BEIJING; ARMY UNITS CRISSCROSS CITY; FOREIGNERS HURRY TO LEAVE The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/08/world/turmoil-china-foreboding-grasps-beijing-army-units-crisscross-city-foreigners.html 3 July 2023 June 8, 1989 3 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230703090035/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/08/world/turmoil-china-foreboding-grasps-beijing-army-units-crisscross-city-foreigners.html live In the evening, a firefight broke out between soldiers and demonstrators at Shuangjing.Nathan 2002 509 On 5 June 1989, The Wall Street Journal reported on the fighting: "As columns of tanks and tens of thousands of soldiers approached Tiananmen, many troops were set on by angry mobs who screamed, 'Fascists'. Dozens of soldiers were pulled from trucks, severely beaten, and left for dead. At an intersection west of the square, the body of a young soldier, who had been beaten to death, was stripped naked and hung from the side of a bus. Another soldier's corpse was strung up at an intersection east of the square."Greenberger Robert S. Ignatius Adi Sterba James P. 5 June 1989 https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CJB-22543 Class Struggle: China's Harsh Actions Threaten to Set Back 10-Year Reform Drive – Suspicions of Westernization Are Ascendant, and Army Has a Political Role Again – A Movement Unlikely to Die The Wall Street Journal 14 January 2022 Clearing the square At the Square, soldiers and students initially attempted to show restraint, but residents refused to follow student orders. Soldiers did not fight back at first after some citizens threw rocks at them.Nathan 2002 497 In the early morning on 4 June, the first APC entered Tiananmen Square from Chang'an West Boulevard. Demonstrators attacked the APC with molotov cocktails and immobilised it with a traffic divider, before covering it with gasoline-doused blankets and setting it on fire.Nathan 2002 497 Wu Renhua claims that after the three occupants were forced out of the vehicle by the heat, students escorted the three men to a medic station.Wu: Last Act (1) However, according to an eyewitness account of a Chinese-American reporter, the soldiers were attacked by the crowd. Two soldiers were burned alive inside the APC, and a third was dragged out of the vehicle and beaten to death in full view of other soldiers.https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc14.pdf Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC 12 July 2023 12 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230712065328/https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc14.pdf livehttps://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc15.pdf Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC 3 July 2023 4 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240604185135/https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc15.pdf live Larry Wortzel, a military intelligence officer at the U.S. Embassy at the time, noted that the demonstrators' swarming tactics were clearly rehearsed and practiced, having been used similarly in other places around the city.Wortzel Larry HE TIANANMEN MASSACRE REAPPRAISED Chinese National Security Decisionmaking Under Stress 2005 Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College 74 3 July 2023 wortzel https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep11967.6 3 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230703095007/https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep11967.6 live "This was clearly a tactic rehearsed and even practiced among the demonstrators, since it was used in the same way in separate places around the city. By this time, having seen their fellow soldiers killed, the troops were scared [...] Predictably, the troops reacted by opening fire." Troops from the west arrived at the square at about 1:30 am, and troops from other directions gradually arrived as well, blocking main roads to the square to prevent entry.D. Zhao 2001 205 A second emergency announcement from the government was broadcast on loudspeakers: A severe counterrevolutionary riot has broken out in the capital tonight. Rioters have savagely attacked soldiers of the PLA, have stolen their weapons and burned their vehicles, have erected roadblocks, and have kidnapped officers and soldiers [...] Citizens and students must evacuate the Square immediately so that martial law troops can successfully carry out their mission. We cannot guarantee the safety of violators, who will be solely responsible for any consequences. Emergency Announcement Beijing Municipal Government and Martial Law CommandNathan 2002 498 After the announcement, most people in the square began to leave, and by 2:00 am, there were only a few thousand demonstrators in the square.Nathan 2002 498 North of the square, a dozen students and citizens attempted to torch army trucks with cans of gasoline but were arrested.Nathan 2002 498 At 3:00 am, Hou Dejian, Liu Xiaobo, Zhou Duo, and Gao Xin decided to convince the students to evacuate the square; Chai Ling, however, insisted that "those who wish to leave may leave, and those who don't may stay."Nathan 2002 500 The group asked Chai Ling and other student leaders to negotiate a peaceful evacuation. Hou Dejian addressed the students by loudspeaker, urging them to leave the square and surrender their rifles and other weapons, before leaving with Zhou Duo in an ambulance to meet the government troops.D. Zhao 2001 205Nathan 2002 500 Between 3:30 and 3:45 am, the ambulance arrived at the Museum of Chinese History in the northeast corner of the square, and Hou Dejian and Zhou Duo met with Ji Xinguo, a regimental political commissar.D. Zhao 2001 205Nathan 2002 500 They requested that the army give them time to evacuate, and to open a path for them to leave. Ji Xinguo relayed their request to Martial Law Headquarters, who agreed to the students' request.D. Zhao 2001 205Nathan 2002 500 Ji Xinguo informed them of this and told them to exit to the south. After Hou and Zhou returned to the square, they called for an immediate evacuation, and the Martial Law Headquarters announced, "Students, we appreciate that you will leave the Square voluntarily. Students, please leave in the southeastern direction."D. Zhao 2001 206 There was initial reluctance among the students to leave, but as the deadline approached, Feng Congde asked students for a voice vote on whether to stay or leave.D. Zhao 2001 206 Although the vote's results were inconclusive, Feng said the vote to leave was louder.D. Zhao 2001 206 The demonstrators began to evacuate, with students leaving under their school banners, heading southeast.Nathan 2002 500John Pomfret interview 2006 At about 4:35am, a few minutes after the demonstrators started to retreat, the lights in the square were turned on, and troops began to advance. A squad of commandos charged up the monument and shot out the students' loudspeaker.D. Zhao 2001 206 According to Hou Dejian, tear gas was used during the operation to clear the square.ACTIVIST: NO KILLINGS IN TIANANMEN https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-08-19-8901050866-story.html Chicago Tribune Aug 19, 1989 20 August 2023 20 August 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230820112733/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-08-19-8901050866-story.html live At 5:23am, a Chinese armoured car rammed the Goddess of Democracy statue several times, and then removed its severed torch after it collapsed as a memento.Baum 1996 288 Having removed the students from the square, soldiers were ordered to relinquish their ammunition, after which they were allowed a short reprieve, from 7am to 9am.Lim 2014a 23 The debris left over from the student occupation was either piled and burnt on the square or placed in large plastic bags that were then airlifted away by military helicopters.Lim 2014a 19Lilley 1989 After the cleanup, the troops stationed at The Great Hall of the People remained confined within for the next nine days. During this time, the soldiers were apparently left to sleep on the floors and were daily supplied a single packet of instant noodles shared between three men.Lim 2014a 25–26 In the city Just past 6:00 on 4 June, as a convoy of students who had vacated the square were walking westward in the bicycle lane along Chang'an Avenue back to campus, three tanks pursued them from the square, firing tear gas.Coonan 2008 One tank proceeded to ram the crowd, killing 11 students and injuring scores of others.Wu: Tanks Ran Over Students By dawn, the sky was enveloped with smoke rising from the centre of the city, and the streets were filled with burned-out vehicles. Skirmishes between protesters and troops continued sporadically in the city.The Gate of Heavenly 1995Birnbaum Jesse Read TIME's 1989 cover story about the Tiananmen Square massacre https://time.com/2822358/tiananmen-square-25th-anniversary/ https://web.archive.org/web/20260111023336/https://time.com/2822358/tiananmen-square-25th-anniversary/ 2026-01-11 2026-05-20 TIME en June 4, 2014 live Some demonstrators regrouped and attempted to re-enter the square from the northeast on East Chang'an Avenue, but were driven off by gunfire.Thomas 2006 32:23–34:50 The square remained closed to the public for two weeks.Schoenberger 1989 At 17:00, a sitrep from the U.S. State Department to the U.S. Embassy indicated that the PLA was "mopping up isolated resistance".Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, China Task Force Situation Report No. 3 – Situation as of 1700 EDT, 6/4/89 https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc16.pdf 17 July 2024 13 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240613204036/https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/docs/doc16.pdf live 5 June and the Tank Man Tank Man thumb|"Tank Man" temporarily stopping the advance of four Type 59 tanks On June 5, having secured the square, the military began to reassert control over thoroughfares through the city, especially Chang'an Avenue. A column of tanks of the 1st Armored Division left the square and, heading east on Chang'an Avenue, came upon a lone protester standing in the middle of the avenue. The brief standoff between the man and the tanks was captured by Western media atop the Beijing Hotel. After returning to his position in front of the tanks, the man was pulled aside by a group of people.Thomas 2006 Charlie Cole, who was there for Newsweek, claimed that the men were Chinese government agents,http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4313282.stm Picture Power:Tiananmen Standoff BBC News October 7, 2005 17 February 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090217014228/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4313282.stm live while Jan Wong, who was there for The Globe and Mail, thought that they were concerned bystanders.Jan Wong Jan Wong, August 1988 – August 1994 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/jan-wong-august-1988---august-1994/article4287717/ 9 July 2023 The Globe and Mail 9 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230709053327/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/jan-wong-august-1988---august-1994/article4287717/ live Contemporary sources and Timothy Brook's analysis identified Tank Man as 19-year-old Wang Weilin, son of a factory worker, who was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison.Brook 1998 177 Although the fate of Tank Man following the demonstration is not known, paramount Chinese leader Jiang Zemin stated in 1990 that he did not think the man was killed.Iyer 1998 Time later named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. A stopped convoy of 37 APCs on Changan Boulevard at Muxidi was forced to abandon their vehicles after becoming stuck among an assortment of burned-out buses and military vehicles.Brook 1998 178–179 In addition to occasional incidents of soldiers opening fire on civilians in Beijing, Western news outlets reported clashes between units of the PLA.Kristof: Units Clash Late in the afternoon, 26 tanks, three armoured personnel carriers, and supporting infantry took up defensive positions facing east at Jianguomen and Fuxingmen overpasses.Brook 1998 189 Shellfire was heard throughout the night, and the next morning a United States Marine in the eastern part of the city reported spotting a damaged armoured vehicle that an armour-piercing shell had disabled.Brook 1998 190 The ongoing turmoil in the capital disrupted everyday life flow. No editions of the People's Daily were available in Beijing on 5 June, despite assurances that they had been printed.Kristof: Units Clash Many shops, offices, and factories were not able to open, as workers remained in their homes, and public transit services were limited to the subway and suburban bus routes.Wong 1989 By and large, the government regained control in the week following the square's military seizure. A political purge followed in which officials responsible for organizing or condoning the protests were removed, and protest leaders were jailed.Tsui Pang Protests outside Beijing After order was restored in Beijing on 4 June, protests of various sizes continued in some 80 other Chinese cities outside the international press's spotlight.Ageing rebels, bitter victims 2014 In the British colony of Hong Kong, people again took to wearing black in solidarity with the demonstrators in Beijing. There were also protests in other countries, where many adopted the wearing of black armbands as well.McFadden Robert D. 5 June 1989 The West Condemns the Crackdown en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/05/world/the-west-condemns-the-crackdown.html 25 May 2021 0362-4331 3 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190503230905/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/05/world/the-west-condemns-the-crackdown.html live In Shanghai, students marched on the streets on 5 June and erected roadblocks on major thoroughfares. Public transport including railway traffic was blocked.L. Zhang 2001 530 On 6 June, the municipal government tried to clear the rail blockade, but it was met with fierce resistance from the crowds. Several people were killed from being run over by a train.L. Zhang 2001 530 On 7 June, students from major Shanghai universities stormed various campus facilities to erect biers.L. Zhang 2001 535 Although there were rumours of possible martial law in the city, the situation was gradually brought under control without deadly force.L. Zhang 2001 535-540 The municipal government gained recognition from the top leadership in Beijing for averting a major upheaval. In the interior cities of Xi'an, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Chengdu, many students continued protests after 4 June, often erecting roadblocks. In Chengdu, large protests were violently crushed by security forces on 4 and 5 June, with eyewitnesses reporting "300 to 400 people killed".https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/23/opinion/l-chengdu-had-its-own-tiananmen-massacre-223689.html Opinion | Chengdu Had Its Own Tiananmen Massacre (Published 1989) June 23, 1989 27 January 2026 20 November 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241120025457/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/23/opinion/l-chengdu-had-its-own-tiananmen-massacre-223689.html live In Xi'an, students stopped workers from entering factories.L. Zhang 2001 399, 404 In Wuhan, students blocked the Yangtze River Railway bridge and another 4,000 gathered at the railway station.L. Zhang 2001 400 About one thousand students staged a railroad "sit-in", and rail traffic on the Beijing-Guangzhou and Wuhan-Dalian lines was interrupted. The students also urged employees of major state-owned enterprises to go on strike.L. Zhang 2001 405 In Wuhan, the situation was so tense that residents reportedly began a bank run and resorted to panic buying.L. Zhang 2001 408 Government's pronouncements June 9 Deng speech At a news conference on 6 June, State Council spokesperson Yuan Mu announced that based on "preliminary statistics", "nearly 300 people died ... includ[ing] soldiers", 23 students, "bad elements who deserve[d] this because of their crimes, and people who were killed by mistake."Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 364 He said the wounded included "5,000 [police] officers and [soldiers]" and over "2,000 civilians, including the handful of lawless ruffians and the onlooking masses who do understand the situation."Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 364 Military spokesperson Zhang Gong stated that no one was killed in Tiananmen Square and no one was run over by tanks in the square.Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 361–367 On 9 June, Deng Xiaoping, appearing in public for the first time since the protests began, delivered a speech praising the "martyrs" (PLA soldiers who had died).Li Li Mark 2011 67Deng Xiaoping 1989Deng's 9 June Speech 1989 Deng stated that the goal of the student movement was to overthrow the party and the state.Lin Deng 1989 154–158 Of the protesters, Deng said: "Their goal is to establish a totally Western-dependent bourgeois republic." Deng argued that protesters had complained about corruption to cover their real motive, replacing the socialist system.Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 378 He said that "the entire imperialist Western world plans to make all socialist countries discard the socialist road and then bring them under the monopoly of international capital and onto the capitalist road."Fewsmith 2001 42 Death toll People's Liberation Army at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre#Casualties From the end of the events on, the number of people who died in the square itself has been in dispute. The government actively suppressed discussion of casualty figures immediately after the events, and estimates rely heavily on eyewitness testimony, hospital records, and organised efforts by victims' relatives. As a result, large discrepancies exist among various casualty estimates. Initial estimates ranged from the official figure of a few hundred to several thousand.Brook 1998 151–169 Official figures Official government announcements shortly after the event put the number who died at about 300. According to East German Politburo member Günter Schabowski, Jiang Zemin told him that "around 400 people" had died during a visit shortly after the massacre.Schabowski Günter Das Politbüro: Ende eines Mythos: eine Befragung Sieren Frank Koehne Ludwig Rowohlt 1990 978-3-499-12888-2 1st Rororo aktuell Reinbek bei Hamburg 61 de At the State Council press conference on 6 June, spokesman Yuan Mu said that "preliminary tallies" by the government showed that about 300 civilians and soldiers died, including 23 students from universities in Beijing, along with some people he described as "ruffians".Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 364Brook 1998 167 Yuan also said some 5,000 soldiers and police were wounded, along with 2,000 civilians. On 19 June, Beijing Party Secretary Li Ximing reported to the Politburo that the government's confirmed death toll was 241, including 218 civilians (of which 36 were students), 10 PLA soldiers, and 13 People's Armed Police, along with 7,000 wounded.L. Zhang 2001 436Frontline: Memory of Tiananmen 2006 On 30 June, Mayor Chen Xitong said that the number of injured was about 6,000.Brook 1998 167Oksenberg Sullivan Lambert 1990 364 Other estimates thumb|right|A burned-out vehicle on a Beijing street a few days after 6 June On the morning of 4 June, many estimates of deaths were reported, including from government-affiliated sources. Peking University leaflets circulated on campus suggested a death toll of between two and three thousand. The Chinese Red Cross was rumoured to have given a figure of 2,600 deaths, but the organization denied having given such a figure.How Many Died 1990Sino-American relations 1991 445 The Swiss Ambassador had estimated 2,700, following a visit to Beijing's hospitals.Brook 1998 154 Records from Beijing's main eleven hospitals, compiled shortly after the events, recorded at least 478 dead and 920 wounded, though Timothy Brook notes that these figures are an undercount due to lack of information from other hospitals.Brook 1998 161 Jonathan Fenby puts the death toll at over 700 in his book.Fenby Jonathan The Search for Modern China 2012 W W Norton & Co Inc. 978-0393934519 3rd 739 Nicholas D. Kristof of The New York Times wrote on 21 June that "it seems plausible that about a dozen soldiers and policemen were killed, along with 400 to 800 civilians."Kristof: Reassessing Casualties United States ambassador James Lilley said that, based on visits to hospitals around Beijing, a minimum of several hundred had been killed.Lilley, James, China Hands, 322.July 2020 A declassified National Security Agency cable filed on the same day estimated 180–500 deaths up to the morning of 4 June.Richelson Evans 1999b Amnesty International's estimates put the number of deaths at between several hundred and close to 1,000,How Many Died 1990Calls for Justice 2004 while a Western diplomat who compiled estimates put the number at 300 to 1,000.Kristof: Reassessing Casualties In a highly disputed cable sent in 24 hours after the events at Tiananmen, British Ambassador Alan Donald initially claimed, based on information from a "good friend" in the State Council of China, that a minimum of 10,000 civilians died,Lusher 2017 claims which were repeated in a speech by Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke,https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-03/bob-hawke-tiananman-classified-cable/100184916 Previously classified diplomatic cable reveals what PM Bob Hawke knew about Tiananamen Massacre ABC News (Australia) 3 June 2021 3 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210603004616/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-03/bob-hawke-tiananman-classified-cable/100184916 live but which is an estimated number much higher than other sources.Brook 1998 169https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42465516 Tiananmen Square protest death toll 'was 10,000' BBC News 23 December 2017 4 June 2023 7 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200507092941/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42465516 live After the declassification, student protest leader Feng Congde pointed out that Donald later revised his estimate to 2,700–3,400 deaths, a number closer to, but still much higher than, other estimates.https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/12/chilling-new-details-1989-tiananmen-square-massacre-emerge-estimate-at-least-10-000-killed.html Tiananmen Square massacre cable makes chilling '10,000 killed' claim Newshub 6 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190604131534/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/12/chilling-new-details-1989-tiananmen-square-massacre-emerge-estimate-at-least-10-000-killed.html 4 June 2019 dead Timothy Brook also finds that claims of 10,000 fatalities are "extravagant" and "unconvincing".Brook 1998 169 Identifying the dead The Tiananmen Mothers, a victims' advocacy group co-founded by Ding Zilin and Zhang Xianling, whose children were killed by the government during the crackdown, have identified 202 victims 2011 August y.http://www.tiananmenmother.org/index_files/Page480.htm 六四死难者名册 zh List of victims of June 4th Tiananmen Mothers August 2011 2026-01-03 22 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160822222351/http://www.tiananmenmother.org/index_files/Page480.htm live In the face of government interference, the group has worked painstakingly to locate victims' families and collect information about the victims. Their tally had grown from 155 in 1999 to 202 in 2011, where it remains in 2026. The list includes four individuals who committed suicide on or after 4 June for reasons related to their involvement in the demonstrations.Zou Bing (zh 邹冰; victim No. 51), a 19-year-old student at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute, hanged herself in September 1989 because of her inability to endure interrogation into her involvement in the protest; Ren Jianmin (zh 任建民; victim No. 106) was a farmer from Hebei who was passing through the city and wounded by gunfire in the stomach on 4 June. He was unable to afford medical bills and hanged himself in August because of unbearable pain; Qi Li (zh 齐力; victim No. 162), a student at the Central Academy of Drama, hanged himself for escaping the pressure of post-protest investigations at his school; Wei Wumin (zh 韦武民; victim No. 163), also a student at the Central Academy of Drama, who participated in the hunger strike, committed suicide by standing in front of an oncoming train. Deaths around and in Tiananmen Square itself Government officials have long asserted that no one died in the square in the early morning hours of 4 June, during the "hold-out" of students' last batch in the south part of the square. Initially, foreign media reports of a "massacre" on the square were prevalent, though subsequently, journalists have acknowledged that most of the deaths occurred outside of the square in western Beijing. Several people who were situated around the square that night, including former Beijing bureau chief of The Washington Post Jay MathewsJay Mathews, former Beijing bureau chief for The Washington Post said that "as far as can be determined from the available evidence, no one died that night in Tiananmen Square". He goes on to conclude: A few people may have been killed by random shooting on streets near the square, but all verified eyewitness accounts say that the students who remained in the square when troops arrived were allowed to leave peacefully. Hundreds of people, most of them workers and passersby, did die that night, but in a different place and under other circumstances.Mathews 1998 and CBS correspondent Richard RothRichard Roth reported that he was held captive by troops in the Great Hall of the People on the west side of the square on the night of 3 June and could hear but not see into the square until dawn when they were driven through the square. He heard a "volley of gunfire" to silence the students' loudspeakers. He added that there is no doubt that many people were killed in the area on the way to and around the square, mostly in western Beijing, which the Communist Party denies.Roth 2009b reported that while they had heard sporadic gunfire, they could not find enough evidence to suggest that a massacre took place on the square. Student leader Chai Ling claimed in a speech broadcast on Hong Kong television that she witnessed tanks arrive at the square and crush students who were sleeping in their tents, and added that between 200 and 400 students died at the square.Bregolat E. https://books.google.com/books?id=p8AYDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 The Second Chinese Revolution 2016 Springer 978-1137475992 en 25 May 2022 4 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240604185246/https://books.google.com/books?id=p8AYDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA193#v=onepage&q&f=false live Ling was joined by fellow student leader Wu'er Kaixi who said he had witnessed 200 students being cut down by gunfire; however, according to Mathews, it was later proven that he had already left the square several hours before the events he claimed to have happened.The Myth of Tiananmen https://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php 11 January 2022 Columbia Journalism Review en 23 December 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161223020700/http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php live Taiwan-born Hou Dejian was present in the square to show solidarity with the students and said that he did not see any massacre occurring in the square. He was quoted by Xiaoping Li, a former China dissident to have stated: "Some people said 200 died in the square, and others claimed that as many as 2,000 died. There were also stories of tanks running over students who were trying to leave. I have to say I did not see any of that. I was in the square until 6:30 in the morning."Clark Gregory 21 July 2008 Birth of a massacre myth https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2008/07/21/commentary/birth-of-a-massacre-myth/ 2 December 2020 The Japan Times 21 March 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200321074807/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2008/07/21/commentary/birth-of-a-massacre-myth/ live In 2009, human rights activist Robin Munro, stated that he was present during the clearance of Tiananmen Square and that, according to his account, there were ten Western reporters near the Monument to the People's Heroes at the time. He also reported a Spanish television crew that recorded footage of the event. Munro disputed Wu'er Kaixi's claims of mass killings inside the square, stating that he did not witness fighting there and instead observed students peacefully complying with the soldiers' demands to leave the square in an orderly manner. He further noted that the Spanish TV crew reported not seeing killings within the square during the final clearance.China June 1989 : Remembering Tiananmen Square - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article32115 2026-06-10 www.europe-solidaire.orgMunro Robin 2009-06-02 Remembering Tiananmen Square https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/remembering-tiananmen-square/ 2026-06-10 en-US 0027-8378 In 2011, three secret cables from the United States embassy in Beijing from the time of the events were leaked and published by WikiLeaks, all of which stated that there was no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square itself.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html Wikileaks: no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square, cables claim The Daily Telegraph 4 June 2011 6 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190406062700/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html live Instead, they said Chinese soldiers opened fire on protesters in Beijing outside the square, around Muxidi station, as they fought their way from the west towards the centre. A Chilean diplomat who had been positioned next to a Red Cross station inside the square told his US counterparts that he did not observe any mass firing of weapons into the crowds in the square itself, although sporadic gunfire was heard. He said that most of the troops who entered the square were armed only with anti-riot gear.Lilley 1989 Immediate aftermath Arrests, punishments, and evacuations Dissidents in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Operation Yellowbird Women's roles during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre On 13 June 1989, the Beijing Public Security Bureau released an order for the arrest of 21 students they identified as the protest leaders. These 21 most-wanted student leaders were part of the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation,E. Cheng 2012 which had been instrumental in the Tiananmen Square protests. Though decades have passed, this most-wanted list has never been retracted by the Chinese government.Lim 2014a 74 On 17 June, two individuals were captured after exchanging gunfire with soldiers.Schoenberger 1989 The same day, a woman who had been visiting a Western diplomat at Jianguomenwai diplomatic compound was observed being arrested by plainclothes policemen.Schoenberger 1989 The 21 most-wanted student leaders' faces and descriptions were often broadcast on television.Lim 2014a 39Kristof: Moderates Appear Photographs with biographies of the leaders followed in this order: Wang Dan, Wuer Kaixi, Liu Gang, Chai Ling, Zhou Fengsuo, Zhai Weimin, Liang Qingdun, Wang Zhengyun, Zheng Xuguang, Ma Shaofang, Yang Tao, Wang Zhixing, Feng Congde, Wang Chaohua, Wang Youcai, Zhang Zhiqing, Zhang Boli, Li Lu, Zhang Ming, Xiong Wei, and Xiong Yan. Each of the 21 students faced diverse experiences after their arrests or escapes; while some remain abroad with no intent to return, others have chosen to stay indefinitely, such as Zhang Ming.Lim 2014a 70–71 Only 7 of the 21 were able to escape.Mosher 2004 Some student leaders, such as Chai Ling and Wuer Kaixi, were able to escape to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other Western nations under Operation Yellowbird, which was organised by Western intelligence agencies such as MI6 and CIA from Hong Kong, a British territory at the time.Liu 1996Lim 2014a 70–71Mosher 2004https://www.ft.com/content/4f970144-e658-11e3-9a20-00144feabdc0 Tiananmen Square: the long shadow Financial Times June 2014 5 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190604110356/https://www.ft.com/content/4f970144-e658-11e3-9a20-00144feabdc0 4 June 2019 live Anderlini Jamil According to The Washington Post, the operation involved more than 40 people and had its roots in the Alliance in Support of Democratic Movements in China formed in May 1989. After the Beijing protest crackdown, this group drew up an initial list of 40 dissidents they believed could form the nucleus of a "Chinese democracy movement in exile".https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/06/02/the-great-escape-from-china/5da31d0d-aca1-4c56-9178-767d14c29f62/ The great escape from China The Washington Post 5 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190604113849/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/06/02/the-great-escape-from-china/5da31d0d-aca1-4c56-9178-767d14c29f62/ 4 June 2019 live The remaining student leaders were apprehended and incarcerated.Mosher 2004 Those who escaped, whether in 1989 or after, generally have had difficulty re-entering China up to this day.Lim 2014a 73–76 The Chinese government has preferred to leave the dissidents in exile.Traywick 2013 Those who attempt to re-enter, such as Wu'er Kaixi, have been simply sent back but not arrested.Traywick 2013 Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao were arrested in late 1989 for their involvement in the protests. Chinese authorities alleged they were the "black hands" behind the movement. Both Chen and Wang rejected the allegations made against them. They were put on trial in 1990 and sentenced to 13 years in prison.Weber 2014 Others, such as Zhang Zhiqing, have essentially disappeared. After his initial arrest in January 1991 and subsequent release, nothing further is known about his situation and where he lives now.Mosher 2004 Zhang Zhiqing's role and reason for being listed on the 21 most wanted is generally unknown; this is the case for many others on the list, such as Wang Chaohua. According to the Dui Hua Foundation, citing a provincial government, 1,602 individuals were imprisoned for protest-related activities in early 1989. 2012 May, at least two remain incarcerated in Beijing, and five others remain unaccounted for.Less Than a Dozen 2012 In June 2014, it was reported that Miao Deshun was believed to be the last known prisoner incarcerated for their participation in the protests; he was last heard from a decade ago.Harron 2014 All are reported to have mental illnesses.Less Than a Dozen 2012 Leadership changes Political purges during and after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre thumb|Jiang Zemin (1926–2022), the party secretary of Shanghai, where student protests were subdued largely without violence, was promoted to succeed Zhao Ziyang as the party General Secretary in 1989. The party leadership expelled Zhao Ziyang from the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). Hu Qili, another PSC member who opposed martial law but abstained from voting, was also removed from the committee. However, he was able to retain his party membership, and after "changing his opinion", he was reassigned as deputy minister in the Ministry for Machinery and Electronics Industry. Another reform-minded Chinese leader, Wan Li, was also put under house arrest immediately after he stepped out of his plane at Beijing Capital Airport upon returning from a shortened trip abroad; the authorities declared his detention to be on health grounds. When Wan Li was released from his house arrest after he finally "changed his opinion", he, like Qiao Shi, was transferred to a different position with equal rank but a mostly ceremonial role. Several Chinese ambassadors abroad claimed political asylum.Bernstein1989b Jiang Zemin, the Party Secretary of Shanghai, was promoted to General Secretary of the Communist Party. Jiang's decisive actions in Shanghai involving the World Economic Herald and his having prevented deadly violence in the city won him support from party elders in Beijing. Having put the new leadership team in place and recognizing his weakened position, Deng Xiaoping himself also bowed out of the party leadership—at least officially—by resigning his last leadership position as Chairman of the Central Military Commission later that year. He kept a low profile until 1992. According to diplomatic cables de-classified by Canada, the Swiss ambassador informed Canadian diplomats in confidence that over several months following the massacre, "every member of the Politburo Standing Committee has approached him about transferring very significant amounts of money to Swiss bank accounts."Phillips 2015 Bao Tong, Zhao Ziyang's aide, was the highest-ranking official to be formally charged with a crime connected with 1989 demonstrations. He was convicted in 1992 of "revealing state secrets and counter-revolutionary propagandizing" and served seven years in prison. To purge sympathizers of Tiananmen demonstrators from among the party's rank-and-file, the party leadership initiated a one-and-a-half-year-long rectification programme to "deal strictly with those inside the party with serious tendencies toward bourgeois liberalisation". Four million people were reportedly investigated for their role in the protests. More than 30,000 Communist officers were deployed to assess the "political reliability" of more than one million government officials.Miles 1997 27–30 The authorities arrested tens if not hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Some were seized in broad daylight while they walked in the street; others were arrested at night. Many were jailed or sent to labour camps. They were often denied access to see their families and often put in cells so crowded that not everyone had space to sleep. Dissidents shared cells with murderers and rapists, and torture was not uncommon.Miles 1997 30 Media coverage Official narrative The official narrative constructed by the Chinese Communist Party on 4 June Incident states that the use of force was necessary to control "political turmoil",https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/05/13/china-tiananmens-unhealed-wounds China: Tiananmen's Unhealed Wounds 13 May 2009 en 10 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190227230422/https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/05/13/china-tiananmens-unhealed-wounds 27 February 2019 live Human Rights Watch and this also ensures the stable society that is necessary for successful economic development.http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/8198/65833/65839/66944/4514254.html zh:1989年政治风波--时政--人民网 People's Daily 10 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200405120752/http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/8198/65833/65839/66944/4514254.html 5 April 2020 livehttps://boxun.com/news/gb/china/2009/05/200905201415.shtml zh:中共重申对六四事件有明确定论 boxun.com 10 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200408162157/https://boxun.com/news/gb/china/2009/05/200905201415.shtml 8 April 2020 livehttps://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/29/world/asia/29iht-china.1839321.html Relatives of dead at Tiananmen seek review – Asia – Pacific – International Herald Tribune 29 May 2006 The New York Times 10 April 2020 en-US 0362-4331 https://web.archive.org/web/20181004145022/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/29/world/asia/29iht-china.1839321.html 4 October 2018 live Chinese leaders—including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who were general secretaries of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party—consistently reiterated the official narrative of the Chinese Communist Party when being asked about the protests by foreign journalists.http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=228397&rel_no=1&isSerial=&sort_name=&ip_sort=221.154.106.74&page=1 Hong Kong's 'Long-Haired' Provocateurs International english.ohmynews.com – OhmyNew 10 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629190126/http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=228397&rel_no=1&isSerial=&sort_name=&ip_sort=221.154.106.74&page=1 29 June 2011 live Print media were required to be consistent with the Chinese government's account of the 4 June Incident. The Chinese government prepared a white paper to explain the government's views on the protests. Later, anonymous people within the Chinese government shipped the files overseas and published the "Tiananmen Papers" in 2001. At the 30th anniversary of the 4 June Incident, Wei Fenghe, a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said in the Shangri-La Dialogue: "The 4 June Incident was a turmoil and unrest. The Central Government took decisive measures to calm the unrest and stop the turmoil, and it is because of this decision that the stability within the country can be established. For the past three decades, China has undergone tremendous changes under the leadership of the Communist Party."https://www.hk01.com/議事廳/335905/六四三十-國防部長魏鳳和-中央果斷平息動亂-屬正確決定 zh:【六四三十】國防部長魏鳳和: 中央果斷平息動亂 屬正確決定 朱加樟 2 June 2019 香港01 zh-HK 10 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200510210717/https://www.hk01.com/%E8%AD%B0%E4%BA%8B%E5%BB%B3/335905/%E5%85%AD%E5%9B%9B%E4%B8%89%E5%8D%81-%E5%9C%8B%E9%98%B2%E9%83%A8%E9%95%B7%E9%AD%8F%E9%B3%B3%E5%92%8C-%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E6%9E%9C%E6%96%B7%E5%B9%B3%E6%81%AF%E5%8B%95%E4%BA%82-%E5%B1%AC%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%B1%BA%E5%AE%9A 10 May 2020 live Chinese media People's Daily during the 1989 Student Movement The suppression of 4 June marked the end of a period of relative press freedom in China, and media workers—both foreign and domestic—faced heightened restrictions and punishment in the aftermath of the crackdown. State media reports in the immediate aftermath were sympathetic to the students. As a result, those responsible were all later removed from their posts. Two news anchors, Du Xian and Xue Fei, who reported this event on 4 and 5 June, respectively in the daily Xinwen Lianbo broadcast on China Central Television, were fired because they openly emoted in sympathy with the protesters. Wu Xiaoyong, the son of the former foreign minister Wu Xueqian, was removed from the English Programme Department of Chinese Radio International, ostensibly for his sympathies towards protesters. Editors and other staff at the People's Daily, including director Qian Liren and Editor-in-Chief Tan Wenrui, were also sacked because of reports in the paper that were sympathetic towards the protesters.Wudunn 1989 The restrictions were loosened after a few years had passed, especially after Deng Xiaoping's southern tour.Cabestan 2010 195 Privately run print media then again flourished. Private newspapers increased from 250 in the 1980s to over 7,000 by 2003. Provincially-run, satellite TV stations sprang up all over the country and challenged the market share of state-run CCTV.Kurlantzick 2003 50 The leadership also stepped away from promoting communism as an all-encompassing belief system. State-approved religious organisations increased their membership significantly, and traditional beliefs suppressed during the Mao era re-appeared.Kurlantzick 2003 50 This state-sanctioned plurality also created an environment for unsanctioned forms of spirituality and worship to grow.Kurlantzick 2003 52 To reduce the need for controversial methods of state control, Protestants, Buddhists, and Taoists were often used by the state as "approved" denominations to "fight against cults" such as Falun Gong, playing the sects against each other.Kurlantzick 2003 52 Foreign media Foreign media at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre With the imposition of martial law, the Chinese government cut off Western broadcasters' satellite transmissions such as CNN and CBS. Broadcasters tried to defy these orders by reporting via telephone. Video footage was smuggled out of the country, although the only network that was able to record video during the night of 4 June was es Televisión Española no of Spain (TVE).Bregolat 2007 During the military action, some foreign journalists faced harassment from authorities. CBS correspondent Richard Roth and his cameraman were taken into custody while filing a report from the square via mobile phone.Roth 2009a Several foreign journalists who had covered the crackdown were expelled in the weeks that followed, while others were harassed by authorities or blacklisted from reentering the country.Kristof: Beijing Ousts Correspondents Some were reportedly beaten.11. "Troops march near Beijing square; foreign press coverage restricted," The Globe and Mail, June 2, 1989, A4.21. Jonathan Mirsky, "Revenge of the old guard," The Observer, June 11, 1989. Some Western outlets withheld certain images from viewers;Clark Gregory Tiananmen https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/06/03/commentary/world-commentary/really-happened-tiananmen/ 25 July 2023 The Japan Times June 3, 2014 25 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230725092047/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/06/03/commentary/world-commentary/really-happened-tiananmen/ live Graham Earnshaw, a Reuters correspondent at the time, stated that a "disgusting" photo depicting the burned body of a soldier hanging from a bus was not sent to subscribers.Earnshaw Graham Tiananmen Story https://earnshaw.com/writings/memoirs/tiananmen-story earnshaw.com 20 March 2019 25 July 2023 6 June 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230606024114/https://earnshaw.com/writings/memoirs/tiananmen-story live Reactions Reactions to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre thumb|upright=1.23|Monument in Memory of Chinese from Tiananmen in Wrocław, Poland The Chinese government's response was widely denounced by Western governments and media.Tiananmen Square Document 35 1989 According to Suisheng Zhao, Asian countries generally remained silent throughout the protests. India's government under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ordered state television to minimize coverage of the events in Beijing so as not to jeopardize a thawing in relations with China and to empathize with the Chinese government.Mohan 2009 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was the only political party in the world to pass a resolution supporting the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests, calling them "an imperialist attempt to internally subvert socialism, [which] was successfully thwarted by the CPC and the PLA."India's Communist Party (Marxist): Defender of Stalin and capitalist restoration https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/04/indi-a06.html 5 June 2021 World Socialist Web Site 6 April 2012 en 5 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210605062446/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/04/indi-a06.html liveTharoor Shashi https://books.google.com/books?id=URqYQxNYHBIC&q=The+leading+Indian+communist+party%2C+the+Communist+Party+of+India+%28Marxist%29%2C+which+had+been+the+only+party+in+the+world+to+pass+a+resolution+hailing+the+Tiananmen+Square+massacre+in+1989%2C&pg=PT177 Pax Indica: India and the World of the Twenty-first Century 2013 Penguin Random House India Private Limited 978-8184756937 en Shashi Tharoor 27 June 2022 4 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240604185138/https://books.google.com/books?id=URqYQxNYHBIC&q=The+leading+Indian+communist+party%2C+the+Communist+Party+of+India+%28Marxist%29%2C+which+had+been+the+only+party+in+the+world+to+pass+a+resolution+hailing+the+Tiananmen+Square+massacre+in+1989%2C&pg=PT177 liveCPI(M) 9 January 1992 Resolution Adopted at the 14th Congress of the CPI(M) Madras, January 3–9, 1992, 4.0(xvii), p. 12 https://www.cpim.org/documents/1992-14-Cong--ideological-issues.pdf 12, 4.0(xvii) 26 August 2020 1992 25 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200925075444/https://www.cpim.org/documents/1992-14-Cong--ideological-issues.pdf liveRaj Chengappa 15 September 1991 CPI(M) assailed for welcoming hardliners' coup, but refuses to budge from Marxist dogmas https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19910915-cpi-m-assailed-for-welcoming-hardliners-coup-but-refuses-to-budge-from-orthodox-marxist-dogmas-814822-1991-09-15 India Today en 5 June 2021 5 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210605062446/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19910915-cpi-m-assailed-for-welcoming-hardliners-coup-but-refuses-to-budge-from-orthodox-marxist-dogmas-814822-1991-09-15 live South Korea was in the midst of efforts to develop relations with the People's Republic of China and President Roh Tae-woo remained quiet in the aftermath of the crackdown.Liff Adam P. The Taiwan Question in Xi Jinping's Era: Beijing's Evolving Taiwan Policy and Taiwan's Internal and External Dynamics Lee Chaewon Routledge 2024 9781032861661 Zhao Suisheng Suisheng Zhao London and New York Korea-Taiwan "Unofficial" Relations after 30 Years (1992-2022): Reassessing Seoul's "One China" Policy 166 Former United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar expressed great sadness over the event.Tiananmen Square Document 35 1989 11 In 1992, he however stated that the crackdown had been exaggerated, and that he received no convincing evidence of widespread killing.Tiananmen toll 'exaggerated' https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/tiananmen-toll-exaggerated-1533135.html The Independent July 13, 1992 25 July 2023 25 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230725070007/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/tiananmen-toll-exaggerated-1533135.html live Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany, under the Soviet sphere of influence at the time, supported the Chinese government and denounced the protests.Tiananmen Square Document 35 1989 Amnesty International condemned the prosecution of Hong Kong activists Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, arguing that it is part of a broader strategy to use national security laws to suppress dissent and erase historical memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Both activists, former members of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, have been detained for over four years and face lengthy imprisonment for advocating justice for the victims. Amnesty calls for their immediate release, the repeal of the National Security Law, and the protection of the right to peacefully commemorate the Tiananmen massacre.2026-01-22 Hong Kong: Trial of Tiananmen activists a cynical attempt to erase historical memory https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/hong-kong-trial-of-tiananmen-activists-a-cynical-attempt-to-erase-historical-memory/ 2026-02-27 Amnesty International en 10 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260310041235/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/hong-kong-trial-of-tiananmen-activists-a-cynical-attempt-to-erase-historical-memory/ live Longer-term impact Politics Political purges during and after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre As the CCP departed from the orthodox communism it was founded upon, much of its attention was focused on the cultivation of nationalism as an alternative ideology.Cabestan 2010 199 This policy largely succeeded in tying the party's legitimacy to China's "national pride", turning domestic public opinion back in its favour.Cabestan 2010 201 Support of liberal reform and liberal democracy among intellectuals decreased, and support for conservative cultural politics increased.Tu Hang Sentimental Republic: Chinese Intellectuals and the Maoist Past Harvard University Asia Center 2025 9780674297579166–167 The protests highlighted severe inadequacies in riot-control equipment and training among both the Chinese military and police.MacKinnon 1999 The PLA was not trained or equipped to handle riots, and the few PAP riot-control units that were dispatched were insufficient in crowd control. Since 1989, efforts have been made to create effective riot-control units in Chinese cities increased spending on internal security and to an expanded role for the People's Armed Police in handling protests.Why the People's Army Fired https://www.jstor.org/stable/45305304 24 June 2023 205 45305304 24 June 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230624051728/https://www.jstor.org/stable/45305304 live Economy Deng Xiaoping's southern tour After the protests and massacre, many business analysts downgraded their outlook for China's economic future.Naughton 2007 The violent response to the protests was one of the factors that led to a delay in China's acceptance in the World Trade Organization, which was not completed until twelve years later, in 2001.Naughton 2007 Furthermore, bilateral aid to China decreased from $3.4 billion in 1988 to $700 million in 1990.Foot 2000 Loans to China were suspended by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and foreign governments;Thakur Burton Srivastava 1997 404–405 China's credit rating was lowered;Foot 2000 tourism revenue decreased from US$2.2 billion to US$1.8 billion; and foreign direct investment commitments were cancelled. However, there was a rise in government defence spending from 8.6% in 1986, to 15.5% in 1990, reversing a previous 10-year decline.Kelley Shenkar 1993 120–122 Following the protests and massacre, the state paused various marketization reforms or rolled them back in some policy areas.Bingqin Li The Communist Party of China: Understanding the Durability of the World's Most Powerful Political Organization 2025 Cambridge University Press 978-1-009-66843-9 Hillman Ben New York Social Stability Through Responsive Social Policy 10.1017/9781009668385 Ji Fengyuan249 The government sought again to centralize control over the economy,Naughton 2010 though the changes were short-lived. Sensing that conservative policies had again taken a foothold within the party, Deng, now retired from all of his official positions, launched his southern tour in 1992, visiting various cities in the country's most prosperous regions while advocating for further economic reforms.Wu 2015 Partly in response to Deng, by the mid-1990s the country was again pursuing market liberalisation on a scale even greater than those seen in the initial stages of the reforms in the 1980s. Although political liberals were purged from within the party, many of those who were economically liberal remained.Naughton 2010 The economic shocks caused by the events of 1989, in retrospect, had only a minor and temporary effect on China's economic growth. Indeed, with many previously aggrieved groups now regarding political liberalisation as a lost cause, more of their energy was spent on economic activities. The economy would quickly regain momentum into the 1990s.Naughton 2010 Hong Kong thumb|Candlelight vigil in Hong Kong in 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the June 4 incident In Hong Kong, the Tiananmen Square protests led to fears that China would renege on its commitments under one country, two systems, following the impending handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1997. In response, Governor Chris Patten tried to expand the franchise for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, which led to friction with Beijing. For many Hongkongers, Tiananmen served as the turning point when they lost trust in the Beijing government. The event, coupled with general uncertainty about the status of Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty, led to a sizable exodus of Hong Kongers to Western countries such as Canada and Australia before 1997. There have been large candlelight vigils attended by tens of thousands in Hong Kong every year since 1989, even after the transfer of power to China in 1997. Despite that, the June 4th Museum closed in July 2016, after only two years in its location. The group that runs the museum, the Hong Kong Alliance, has started to crowdfund money to open the museum in a new location.Kam 2016 A virtual version of the museum released online in August 2021 has also been blocked by Chinese telecom companies.29 September 2021 Tiananmen Massacre Online Museum Blocked in Hong Kong https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/09/29/tiananmen-massacre-online-museum-blocked-in-hong-kong/ 30 September 2021 The Daily Newsbrief en-US 30 September 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210930132643/https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/09/29/tiananmen-massacre-online-museum-blocked-in-hong-kong/ live thumb|upright=.8|Pillar of Shame in the University of Hong Kong in 2020 The events continue to strongly impact perceptions of China, its government, attitudes towards democracy, and the extent to which Hong Kongers should identify as "Chinese". The events of 4 June are seen as representative of the Chinese brand of authoritarianism, and they are often invoked by pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong, especially in relation to democratic reform in Hong Kong and the territory's relationship with Beijing. Academic studies indicate that those who supported the Tiananmen Square movement's rehabilitation had a tendency to support democratisation in the territory and the election of pro-democracy parties.Lee 2012 152, 155 In memory of the events among other monuments at 1997 Pillar of Shame with height of 8 m performed by sculptor Jens Galschiøt was placed in the University of Hong Kong. On 22 December 2021, it was removed by the university authorities,Grundy Tom 22 December 2021 University of Hong Kong removes Tiananmen Massacre monument in dead of night https://hongkongfp.com/2021/12/23/breaking-fears-for-condemned-tiananmen-massacre-monument-as-university-of-hong-kong-erects-barricades-around-statue-overnight/ 22 December 2021 Hong Kong Free Press en-GB 4 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240604185246/https://hongkongfp.com/2021/12/23/breaking-fears-for-condemned-tiananmen-massacre-monument-as-university-of-hong-kong-erects-barricades-around-statue-overnight/ live a move that was condemned by Wang Dan.23 December 2021 Pillar of Shame: Hong Kong's Tiananmen Square statue removed en-GB BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59764029 2 January 2022 1 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220101214122/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59764029 live China's image internationally The Chinese government drew widespread condemnation for its suppression of the protests. In the immediate aftermath, China seemed to be becoming a pariah state, increasingly isolated internationally. This was a significant setback for the leadership, who had courted international investment for much of the 1980s, as the country emerged from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution; however, Deng Xiaoping and the core leadership vowed to continue economic liberalisation policies after 1989.L. Zhang 2001 424 From there on, China would work domestically and internationally to reshape its national image from that of a repressive regime to that of a benign global economic and military partner.Cabestan 2010 194 Although the crackdown hurt relations with Western countries, it had relatively little impact on China's relations with its Asian neighbours.Zhao Suisheng http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781503634152 The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leadership and the Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy 2023 Stanford University Press 978-1503634152 Stanford, California 67 10.1515/9781503634152 5 January 2023 13 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230413153307/https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781503634152/html live Professor Suisheng Zhao, Director of the Centre for China-US Cooperation at the University of Denver, attributes the slight impact to the fact that "the human rights records in most of these countries were not better than China's. To a certain extent, they were sympathetic to China's struggle against pressures from Western countries." Even in the wake of the crackdown, China's foreign relations with its neighbours generally improved. thumb|Protest in Hong Kong, 2020 The government signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1992, the Convention on Chemical Weapons in 1993, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996.Link 2010 19Cabestan 2010 199 Whereas China had been a member of only 30 international organisations in 1986, it was a member of over 50 by 1997.Cabestan 2010 198 China also sought to diversify its external partnerships, establishing good diplomatic relations with post-Soviet Russia,Cabestan 2010 196 and welcoming Taiwanese business in lieu of Western investment.Cabestan 2010 196 China expedited negotiations with the World Trade Organisation and established relations with Indonesia, Israel, South Korea, and others in 1992.Cabestan 2010 199 Furthermore, the government has successfully promoted China as an attractive destination for investment by emphasizing its skilled workers, comparatively low wages, established infrastructure, and sizable consumer base.Kurlantzick 2003 55 At the same time, the explosion of commercial interest in the country opened the way for multinational corporations to turn a blind eye to politics and human rights in favour of focusing on business interests. Since then, Western leaders who were previously critical of China have sometimes paid lip service to the legacy of Tiananmen in bilateral meetings, but the substance of discussions revolved around business and trade interests.Kurlantzick 2003 56 European Union and the United States arms embargo European Union arms embargo on the People's Republic of China The European Union and United States embargo on armament sales to China, put in place due to the violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests, remains in place today. China has been calling for a lift of the ban for years and has had a varying amount of support from European Union members. Since 2004, China has portrayed the ban as "outdated" and damaging to China–European Union relations. In early 2004, French President Jacques Chirac spearheaded a movement within the European Union to lift the ban, his efforts being supported by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. However, the passing of the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China, in March 2005, increased tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, damaging attempts to lift the ban; and several European Union Council members retracted their support for a lift of the ban. Moreover, Schröder's successor Angela Merkel opposed lifting the ban. Members of the United States Congress had also proposed restrictions on the transfer of military technology to the European Union if the latter lifted the ban. The United Kingdom also opposed the embargo lifting when it took charge of the European Union presidency in July 2005. The European Parliament has consistently opposed the lifting of the arms embargo to China. Though its agreement is not necessary for lifting the ban, many argue it reflects the will of the European people better as it is the only directly elected European body. The arms embargo has limited China's options in seeking military hardware. Among the sources that were sought included the former Soviet bloc that it had a strained relationship with as a result of the Sino-Soviet split. Other willing suppliers have previously included Israel and South Africa, but American pressure has restricted this co-operation.Japan Concerned Chinese disapora Post-Tiananmen immigration responses in several countries contributed to increased long-term settlement of Chinese nationals already abroad. Following the protests and crackdown, a number of countries including European countries and the United States authorized shortcut avenues for Chinese nationals to get permanent resident status, affecting tens of thousands of people.Song Qian Liang Zai 2019 NEW EMIGRATION FROM CHINA: PATTERNS, CAUSES AND IMPACTS https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34377583 Dang Dai Zhongguo Yan Jiu = Modern China Studies 26 1 5–31 2160-0317 8351535 34377583 In the United States on 6th June, 1989, President George H. W. Bush stated that he ordered protections for Chinese nationals with Executive order 12711, which suspended deportations for Chinese nationals already in the country. The U.S. government later gave them authorization to work legally in the country. Three years later, the Chinese Student Protection Act (1992) was enacted that enabled around 54,000 Chinese nationals to gain permanent residency in the United States.Orrenius Pia Zavodny Madeline Kerr Emily 2012 Chinese Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market: Effects of Post-Tiananmen Immigration Policy https://www.jstor.org/stable/23279473 International Migration Review 46 2 456–482 0197-9183U. S. Office of Personnel Management Veterans Information http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/Chinaref.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20120204060206/http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/Chinaref.htm 2012-02-04 2026-05-21 www.opm.gov1990-04-12 Bush Issues Executive Order to Protect Chinese Students https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-12-mn-1438-story.html 2026-05-21 Los Angeles Times en-USRosenthal Andrew Times Special To the New York 1990-04-07 Bush to Formalize Shield for Chinese in U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/07/world/bush-to-formalize-shield-for-chinese-in-us.html 2026-05-21 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 A 2012 study published in the International Migration Review, found that Chinese migrants who had received legal work status and green cards due to the post-Tiananmen policies, performed significantly better in employment and earnings during the 1990s than comparable Asian immigrant groups who did not receive such protections.Orrenius Pia Zavodny Madeline Kerr Emily 2012-06-25 Chinese Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market: Effects of Post-Tiananmen Immigration Policy https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00893.x International Migration Review en 46 2 456–482 10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00893.x 0197-9183 https://web.archive.org/web/20231017161022/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00893.x 2023-10-17 subscription On June 9, 1989, the Australian prime minister Bob Hawke made an infamous televised address where he told the public that soldiers had charged into Tiananmen Square, shooting and bayoneting protesters and that they "had orders that nobody in the square be spared, and children and young girls were slaughtered".2020-06-08 More than 40,000 Chinese were offered asylum in Australia exactly 31 years ago. Here are their stories https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/china-tiananmen-square-massacre-bob-hawke-australian-asylum/12332084 2026-05-21 ABC News en-AU2019-06-12 Bob Hawke: Why Chinese Australians are mourning a 'tender-hearted' PM https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-48551673 2026-05-21 BBC News en-GB Although the retelling of events at the square was later found to be inaccurate, Hawke shed tears during his speech and announced that he would offer asylum to approximately 42,000 Chinese nationals already in Australia as a direct consequence. Hawke in 2015, told The Guardian that he acted unilaterally and did not consult anyone on his decision and had a "deep love for the Chinese people".Walden Max The Australian Chinese granted residency after Tiananmen Square https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/6/3/the-australian-chinese-granted-residency-after-tiananmen-square 2026-05-21 Al Jazeera enChan Gabrielle 2014-12-31 Cabinet papers 1988-89: Bob Hawke acted alone in offering asylum to Chinese students https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/01/cabinet-papers-1988-89-bob-hawke-acted-alone-in-offering-asylum-to-chinese-students 2026-05-21 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 In 1990, Chinese immigration to Vancouver had doubled and in 1994 alone, the city welcomed in 43,000 Chinese immigrants. According to Legion magazine, the new demographic was largely professional and educated people.Gilmar Paige Jasmine 2023-06-14 Canada's Chinese diaspora: How the Tiananmen Square protests changed Vancouver https://legionmagazine.com/canadas-chinese-diaspora-how-the-tiananmen-square-protests-changed-vancouver/ 2026-05-21 Legion Magazine en-USHow Vancouver was forever changed by the Tiananmen Square massacre Daily Hive News https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-hong-kong-tiananmen-massacre-future 2026-05-21 Daily Hive en Contemporary issues Censorship in China Censorship in China Internet censorship in China#Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Internet censorship of the protest Chinese censorship abroad The Chinese Communist Party initially responded with a propaganda campaign. The CCP's top leadership decided not to hold a celebration on the one-year anniversary on 4 June 1990. The last 4 June related state publication was published in 1991. Since then, the CCP has imposed a near-total blackout on the events, with even previously government-produced documentaries on the events being banned.Chen 2022 47 The Chinese government forbids discussions about the Tiananmen Square protestshttps://citizenlab.ca/2016/11/wechat-china-censorship-one-app-two-systems One App, Two Systems December 2016 figure 9 30 September 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191010221114/https://citizenlab.ca/2016/11/wechat-china-censorship-one-app-two-systems/ 10 October 2019 live Ruan Lotus Knockel Jeffrey Ng Jason Q. Crete-Nishihata Masashi and has taken measures to block or censor related information, in an attempt to suppress the public's memory of the protests. Textbooks contain little, if any, information about the protests.Olesen 2009 After the protests, officials banned controversial films and books andSaiget 2009 shut down many newspapers. Within a year, 12% of all newspapers, 8% of all publishing companies, 13% of all social science periodicals, and more than 150 films were either banned or shut down. The government also announced that it had seized 32 million contraband books and 2.4 million video and audio cassettes.Pei 1994 152 Access to media and Internet resources about the subject are either restricted or blocked by censors.Zetter 2009 Banned literature and films include Summer Palace,Higgins 2006 Forbidden City, The Critical Moment: Li Peng Diaries and any writings of Zhao Ziyang or his aide Bao Tong, including Zhao's memoirs. The CCP forbids discussing the events even from a pro-government perspective; Flying the Flag of the Republic, a documentary produced by the PLA after the events that recounts the events from the perspective of the CCP, was eventually banned due to its mentioning of the events,Chen 2022 49 while mentions of the Guardian of the Capital, awarded to troops who took part in the PLA response, is forbidden from the Chinese internet.鍾錦隆 2024-03-19 中國火箭軍發布六四「首都衛士」影片 網罵急下架 China's Rocket Force releases June 4 "Capital Guards" video; netizens criticize and remove it https://www.rti.org.tw/news/view/id/2199419 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20240404012825/https://www.rti.org.tw/news/view/id/2199419 2024-04-04 2024-03-19 Radio Taiwan International zh女兵曬父「鎮壓六四」勛章後共軍急刪片 評論: 真相不因洗腦消逝 The PLA quickly deleted the video after a female soldier posted a photo of her father's medal for "suppressing June 4th" Comment: The truth will not disappear due to brainwashing https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/military-03202024143025.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20240417084941/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/military-03202024143025.html 2024-04-17 2024-03-24 Radio Free Asia zh-hk Due to the extensive censorship around the events, most young people in China are unaware of the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.4 June 2026 天安門事件37週年 中國政府壓制查明事件真相聲音 On the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident, the Chinese government suppressed voices seeking to uncover the truth. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/zt/news/na-k10015140131000/ 5 June 2026 NHK zh2021-06-03 China's Young People 'Know Little' of 1989 Tiananmen Massacre https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/people-06032021105724.html 2026-06-05 Radio Free Asia enChiew Huiyee 2026-06-04 Despite censorship, young Chinese are learning the truth about Tiananmen Square https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/06/04/despite-censorship-young-chinese-are-learning-truth-about-tiananmen-square/ 2026-06-08 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 Print media that contain references to the protests must be consistent with the government's version of events. Domestic and foreign journalists are detained, harassed, or threatened, as are their Chinese colleagues and any Chinese citizens who they interview.Greenslade 2014 Thus, Chinese citizens are typically reluctant to speak about the protests because of potentially negative repercussions. Many young people who were born after 1980 are unfamiliar with the events and are therefore apathetic about politics. Youth in China are generally unaware of the events, the symbols which are associated with them such as the Tank Man,Fisher 2014Apathy or the significance of the date of the massacre 4 June itself.Young clerk let 2007 Some older intellectuals no longer aspire to implement political change. Instead, they focus on economic issues.Gifford 2007 167–168 Some political prisoners have refused to talk to their children about their involvement in the protests out of fear of putting them at risk.Lee Lily Westcott Ben They faced down the tanks in Tiananmen Square. Now they want their children to forget it https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/02/asia/tiananmen-anniversary-forgotten-generation-intl/index.html 3 June 2019 CNN 3 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190603024646/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/02/asia/tiananmen-anniversary-forgotten-generation-intl/index.html 3 June 2019 live While public discussions about the events have become socially taboo, private discussions about them continue to occur despite frequent interference and harassment by the authorities. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo remained in China in order to speak out about Tiananmen in the 1990s despite the fact that he received offers of asylum; he faced constant surveillance. Zhang Xianling and Ding Zilin, the mothers of victims who died in 1989, founded the Tiananmen Mothers organisation and were particularly outspoken about the humanitarian aspects of the protests.References Censored 2009 The authorities mobilize security forces, including members of the People's Armed Police, every year on 4 June in order to prevent public displays of remembrance, with an especially heavy security presence on the anniversaries of major events such as the 20th anniversary of the protests in 2009 and the 25th anniversary of the protests in 2014.Bristow 2009 On the 30th anniversary of the protests in 2019, the well-known Chinese artist Ai Weiwei wrote that "autocratic and totalitarian regimes fear facts because they have built their power on unjust foundations" and he also wrote that memory is important: "without it there is no such thing as a civilised society or nation" because "our past is all we have."https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/04/china-tiananmen-square-beijing The west is complicit in the 30-year cover-up of Tiananmen Ai Weiwei 4 June 2019 The Guardian – Australia edition https://web.archive.org/web/20190616061550/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/04/china-tiananmen-square-beijing 16 June 2019 livehttps://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/why-searching-for-the-truth-about-tiananmen-is-more-important-than-ever-20190530-p51suy.html Why searching for the truth about Tiananmen is more important than ever Needham Kirsty 31 May 2019 The Sydney Morning Herald https://web.archive.org/web/20190929221548/https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/why-searching-for-the-truth-about-tiananmen-is-more-important-than-ever-20190530-p51suy.html 29 September 2019 live Journalists have frequently been denied entry to the square on the anniversaries of the massacre.Bristow 2009https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/31/tiananmen-square-protests-crackdown-intensifies-as-30th-anniversary-nears Tiananmen Square protests: crackdown intensifies as 30th anniversary nears Davidson Helen 31 May 2019 The Guardian – Australian edition https://web.archive.org/web/20190831183459/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/31/tiananmen-square-protests-crackdown-intensifies-as-30th-anniversary-nears 31 August 2019 live Also, the authorities are known to have detained foreign journalists and increase surveillance of prominent human rights activists during this time of year.Wong 2009 Internet searches on "4 June Tiananmen Square" made within China return censored results or result in temporarily severed server connections.References Censored 2009 Specific web pages with select keywords are censored while other websites, such as those which support the overseas Chinese democracy movement, are blocked wholesale.Olesen 2009References Censored 2009 The policy is much more stringent with regard to Chinese-language sites than it is with regard to foreign-language ones. Social media censorship is more stringent in the weeks leading up to the anniversaries of the massacre; even oblique references to the protests and seemingly unrelated terms are usually very aggressively patrolled and censored.Kuang 2016 In January 2006, Google agreed to censor their mainland China site to remove information about Tiananmen and other subjects which are considered sensitive by the authorities. Google withdrew its cooperation on censorship in January 2010.Wines 2010 In August 2026, Le Monde published previously unseen footage recorded in 1989 by Nathalie Trouveroy, who said the material was released to help preserve the memory of the victims of the repression.El Hadj Karim Bellanger Elisa McCausland Sinead August 14, 2026 Tiananmen Square massacre: Le Monde reveals unseen footage of the Chinese regime's violent repression https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/video/2026/08/14/tiananmen-square-massacre-le-monde-reveals-unseen-footage-of-the-chinese-regime-s-violent-repression_6756518_4.html August 26, 2026 Le Monde Earlier, in June, more than 2,000 previously unseen photographs of the protests and crackdown, taken by a Chinese state-media photographer and entrusted to The Epoch Times, were publicly released for the first time.Raj Astitva June 5, 2026 Unseen Photos Surface 37 Years After China's Tiananmen Square ProtestsThousands of people are estimated to have been killed on June 4, 37 years ago. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/37-years-after-tiananmen-square-protests-in-china-hidden-photos-emerge-from-archive-11596762 October 6, 2026 NDTV Calls for the government to reassess Zhang Shijun, a former soldier who was involved in the military crackdown, published an open letter to President Hu Jintao that sought to have the government reevaluate its position on the protests. He was subsequently arrested.Branigan 2009 Although the Chinese government never officially acknowledged relevant accusations when it came to the incident, in 2005 a payment was made to one of the victims' mothers, the first publicised case of the government offering redress to a Tiananmen-related victim's family. The payment was termed a "hardship assistance" and was given to Tang Deying (zh 唐德英), whose son Zhou Guocong (周国聪 周國聰) died at age 15 while in police custody in Chengdu on 6 June 1989, two days after the Chinese Army dispersed the Tiananmen protesters. She was reportedly paid CNY70,000 (approximately US$10,250).https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/31/tiananmen-square-china-pay-off China tried to pay off Tiananmen Square family, activists claim Jonathan Watts The Guardian 31 May 2011 1 June 2023 4 June 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240604185252/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/31/tiananmen-square-china-pay-off live This has been welcomed by various Chinese activists. Chinese leaders voicing regret Before his death in 1998, Yang Shangkun told army doctor Jiang Yanyong that 4 June was the most serious mistake committed by the Communist Party in its history, a mistake that Yang himself could not correct, but one that certainly will eventually be corrected.8 March 2004 China doctor calls 1989 'mistake' en-GB http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3542049.stm 28 December 2021 28 March 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220328075427/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3542049.stm live Zhao Ziyang remained under house arrest until his death in 2005. Zhao's aide Bao Tong has repeatedly called on the government to reverse its verdict on the demonstrations. Chen Xitong, the mayor of Beijing, who read the martial law order and was later disgraced by a political scandal, expressed regret in 2012, a year before his death, for the death of innocent civilians.Buckley 2013 Premier Wen Jiabao reportedly suggested reversing the government's position on Tiananmen in party meetings before he departed from politics in 2013, only to be rebuffed by his colleagues.Anderlini 2013 United Nations report In 2008, the UN Committee Against Torture expressed concern over the lack of investigations into the reports of people "killed, arrested or disappeared on or following the 4 June 1989 Beijing suppression." It stated that the Chinese government had also failed to inform relatives of those individuals' fate, despite relatives' numerous requests. Meanwhile, those responsible for the use of excessive force had not "faced any sanction, administrative or criminal."Committee Against Torture 2008 8 The Committee recommended that the Chinese government should take all of those steps, plus "offer apologies and reparation as appropriate and prosecute those found responsible for excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment."Committee Against Torture 2008 8 In December 2009, the Chinese government responded to the committee's recommendations by saying that the government had closed the case concerning the "political turmoil in the spring and summer of 1989".Committee Against Torture 2008 13 It also stated that the "practice of the past 20 years has made it clear that the timely and decisive measures taken by the Chinese Government at the time were necessary and correct". It said that the labelling of the "incident as 'the Democracy Movement is a "distortion in the nature of the incident". According to the Chinese government, such observations were "inconsistent with the Committee's responsibilities".Committee Against Torture 2008 13 Software and IT remembrance Many Chinese origin techies continue to remember and commemorate Tiananmen event in their own field from time to time. For example, Notepad++ developer Don Ho released a commemorative version called "Notepad++ v8.9 . 6.4 Tiananmen Massacre Commemoration".https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/ Downloads Notepad++ 2026-09-04 See also China 1980s Communism Society Politics 1981 Inner Mongolia student protest 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 December 9th Movement Democracy in China Human rights in China List of massacres in China Mass incidents in China Mass killings under communist regimes Mass surveillance in China Moving the Mountain (1994 film) Moving the Mountain (1994 film) Protest and dissent in China Student propaganda during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Notes References Citations Sources 30em Ageing rebels, bitter victims https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2014/05/29/ageing-rebels-bitter-victims 3 June 2014 The Economist 29 May 2014 subscription CITEREFAgeing rebels, bitter victims2014 27 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142258/https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2014/05/29/ageing-rebels-bitter-victims live All references to Tiananmen Square massacre closely censored for 20 years Reports Without Borders 2 June 2009 https://rsf.org/en/news/all-references-tiananmen-square-massacre-closely-censored-20-years CITEREFReferences Censored2009 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331031410/https://rsf.org/en/news/all-references-tiananmen-square-massacre-closely-censored-20-years live Anderlini Jamil Wen lays ground for Tiananmen healing 20 March 2013 https://www.ft.com/content/13c6fcb2-7285-11e1-9be9-00144feab49a 6 June 2014 5 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120705064147/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13c6fcb2-7285-11e1-9be9-00144feab49a.html live CNN China's Youth post-Tiananmen: Apathy a fact or front? http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/03/china.post.tiananmen.generation/index.html 4 June 2009 15 March 2019 CITEREFApathy 8 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190608034214/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/03/china.post.tiananmen.generation/index.html live Baum Richard Burying Mao: Chinese Politics in the Age of Deng Xiaoping https://books.google.com/books?id=aeM9DwAAQBAJ 1996 Princeton University Press 978-0691036373 1 April 2019 10 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200710025806/https://books.google.com/books?id=aeM9DwAAQBAJ live Bernstein Richard In Taiwan, Sympathies Lean Toward Home 4 June 1989 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/04/world/in-taiwan-sympathies-lean-toward-home.html The New York Times limited CITEREFBernstein1989a 4 November 2018 4 November 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181104130233/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/04/world/in-taiwan-sympathies-lean-toward-home.html live Bernstein Richard Beijing Orders Its Ambassadors Home for a Meeting 29 June 1989 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/29/world/beijing-orders-its-ambassadors-home-for-a-meeting.html The New York Times limited CITEREFBernstein1989b 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042720/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/29/world/beijing-orders-its-ambassadors-home-for-a-meeting.html live Branigan Tania Chinese detain Zhang Shijun, soldier who spoke out against Tiananmen Square massacre 20 March 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/20/tiananmen-square-china-zhang-shijun The Guardian 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042737/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/20/tiananmen-square-china-zhang-shijun live Bregolat Eugenio TVE in Tiananmen 4 June 2007 http://www.lavanguardia.es/premium/publica/publica?COMPID=51357369255&ID_PAGINA=3746&ID_FORMATO=9&turbourl=false https://web.archive.org/web/20090625051206/http://www.lavanguardia.es/premium/publica/publica?COMPID=51357369255&ID_PAGINA=3746&ID_FORMATO=9&turbourl=false dead 25 June 2009 La Vanguardia 4 September 2007 es Bristow Michael http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8082407.stm Journalists banned from Tiananmen 4 June 2009 16 April 2019 BBC News 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331031628/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8082407.stm live Brook Timothy Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement 1998 Timothy Brook Stanford University Press Stanford 978-0804736381 Buckley Chris 5 June 2013 Chen Xitong, Beijing Mayor During Tiananmen Protests, Dies at 82 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/world/asia/chen-xitong-mayor-during-tiananmen-protests-dies.html 6 June 2014 limited The New York Times 14 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224309/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/world/asia/chen-xitong-mayor-during-tiananmen-protests-dies.html live Cabestan Jean-Pierre How China Managed to De-Isolate Itself on the International Stage and Re-Engage the World after Tiananmen Béja Jean-Philippe The Impact of China's 1989 Tiananmen Massacre 2010 https://books.google.com/books?id=tgXGBQAAQBAJ Routledge 978-1136906848 31 March 2019 15 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200715052303/https://books.google.com/books?id=tgXGBQAAQBAJ live Calhoun Craig 1989 Revolution and repression in Tiananmen square https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/42467/ Society 26 6 21–38 10.1007/BF02700237 145014593 LSE Research Online 26 October 2018 17 May 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180517014016/https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/42467/ live Chai Ling Chai Ling A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters 2011 Tyndale House Publishers 978-1414362465 https://archive.org/details/heartforfreedomr00ling Chen Thomas Made in Censorship: The Tiananmen Movement in Chinese Literature and Film Columbia University Press 2022 9780231204019 Cheng Eddie Standoff at Tiananmen 2009 Sensys Corp CITEREFE. Cheng2009 Cheng Eddie Document of 1989: 21 Most Wanted Student Leaders 13 June 2012 http://www.standoffattiananmen.com/2012/06/document-of-1989-21-most-wanted-student.html Standoff at Tiananmen https://web.archive.org/web/20180413065416/http://www.standoffattiananmen.com/2012/06/document-of-1989-21-most-wanted-student.html 13 April 2018 dead CITEREFE. Cheng2012 Cheng Chu-yüan Zheng Zhuyuan Behind the Tiananmen Massacre: Social, Political, and Economic Ferment in China https://books.google.com/books?id=oK66AAAAIAAJ 1990 Westview Press 978-0813310473 31 March 2019 28 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190628051208/https://books.google.com/books?id=oK66AAAAIAAJ live China: The massacre of June 1989 and its aftermath https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/document/?indexNumber=asa17%2f009%2f1990&language=en Amnesty International 16 January 2019 31 March 1990 CITEREFMassacre and aftermath1990 16 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190116100247/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/document/?indexNumber=asa17%2f009%2f1990&language=en live China tightens information controls for Tiananmen anniversary 4 June 2009 http://www.theage.com.au/world/china-tightens-information-controls-for-tiananmen-anniversary-20090604-bvxf.html Agence France-Presse The Age Australia 3 November 2010 CITEREFChina tightens information 12 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110512101400/http://www.theage.com.au/world/china-tightens-information-controls-for-tiananmen-anniversary-20090604-bvxf.html live China: 15 years after Tiananmen, calls for justice continue and the arrests go on 2 June 2004 https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/020/2004/en/ Amnesty International 30 May 2009 CITEREFCalls for Justice2004 31 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190131093456/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/020/2004/en/ live Committee Against Torture 2008 CAT/C/CHN/CO/4 Committee Against Torture 41 21 November 2008 19 April 2019 Coonan Clifford https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympic-hopeful-who-lost-his-legs-in-tiananmen-square-886088.html Olympic hopeful who lost his legs in Tiananmen Square 6 August 2008 The Independent 16 September 2017 1 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170701123851/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympic-hopeful-who-lost-his-legs-in-tiananmen-square-886088.html live The Day China trampled on freedom 30 May 2009 https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-day-china-trampled-on-freedom-20090530-ge7wej.html The Age Australia 29 March 2019 CITEREFDay China trampled2009 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042728/https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-day-china-trampled-on-freedom-20090530-ge7wej.html live Declassified British cable http://ffbeb4845c323b8ced32-3f1b7070c0761ad2dcac8b7012ff4945.r73.cf2.rackcdn.com/890520%20UKE%20Peking%20to%20FCO%20PROTESTS%20PREM19-2597%20f148.pdf 6 January 2017 CITEREFDeclassified British cable 5 January 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170105153411/http://ffbeb4845c323b8ced32-3f1b7070c0761ad2dcac8b7012ff4945.r73.cf2.rackcdn.com/890520%20UKE%20Peking%20to%20FCO%20PROTESTS%20PREM19-2597%20f148.pdf live Deng's June 9 Speech: 'We Faced a Rebellious Clique' and 'Dregs of Society' 30 June 1989 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/30/world/deng-s-june-9-speech-we-faced-a-rebellious-clique-and-dregs-of-society.html 1 May 2012 The New York Times limited CITEREFDeng's 9 June Speech1989 13 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131113053419/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/30/world/deng-s-june-9-speech-we-faced-a-rebellious-clique-and-dregs-of-society.html live Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping 9 June 1989 http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2005-02/23/content_2608913.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20061224154146/http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2005-02/23/content_2608913.htm dead 24 December 2006 zh:在接见首都戒严部队军以上干部时的讲话 Xinhua News Agency zh CITEREFDeng Xiaoping1989 21 February 2026 Dube Clayton Talking Points, June 3–18 2014 http://china.usc.edu/talking-points-june-3-18-2014 China.usc.edu 22 October 2018 27 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151027140054/http://china.usc.edu/talking-points-june-3-18-2014 live Fewsmith Joseph China Since Tiananmen: The Politics of Transition https://books.google.com/books?id=DPEUcmwIEbwC 2001 Cambridge University Press 978-0521001052 31 March 2019 29 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190629000435/https://books.google.com/books?id=DPEUcmwIEbwC live https://www.vox.com/2014/6/3/5775918/25-years-after-tiananmen-most-chinese-univeristy-students-have-never Most Chinese students have never heard of Tank Man Max Fisher 3 June 2014 Vox 30 March 2019 30 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190330045413/https://www.vox.com/2014/6/3/5775918/25-years-after-tiananmen-most-chinese-univeristy-students-have-never live Foot Rosemary Rights beyond borders : the global community and the struggle over human rights in China 2000 Oxford University Press 978-0198297765 New York 47008462 https://archive.org/details/rightsbeyondbord00rose Gifford Rob China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power https://books.google.com/books?id=9eq4HT-0rwsC 2007 Random House Publishing Group 978-1588366344 31 March 2019 18 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200718180211/https://books.google.com/books?id=9eq4HT-0rwsC live Goodman David S. 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Generational Differences in the Impact of Historical Events: The Tiananmen Square Incident in Contemporary Hong Kong Public Opinion June 2012 141–162 International Journal of Public Opinion Research 24 2 10.1093/ijpor/edr042 https://duihua.org/less-than-a-dozen-june-fourth-protesters-still-in-prison/ Less Than a Dozen June Fourth Protesters Still in Prison 31 May 2012 The Dui Hua Foundation 30 March 2019 CITEREFLess Than a Dozen2012 30 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190330072757/https://duihua.org/less-than-a-dozen-june-fourth-protesters-still-in-prison/ live Li Peng 李鵬六四日記真相 2010 Au Ya Publishing Hong Kong 978-1921815003 Li Peter Li Marjorie H. 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Aspects of Beijing's Crisis Management: The Tiananmen Square Demonstration May 1990 505–521 Asian Survey 30 5 2644842 10.2307/2644842 5 Liu Melinda Article: Still on the wing; inside Operation Yellowbird, the daring plot to help dissidents escape 1 April 1996 https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-18141489 127 14 Newsweek 7 January 2019 1 October 2020 Questia subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20201001094819/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-18141489/still-on-the-wing-inside-operation-yellowbird-the dead Lusher Adam At least 10,000 people died in Tiananmen Square massacre, secret British cable from the time alleged 24 December 2017 the Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tiananmen-square-massacre-death-toll-secret-cable-british-ambassador-1989-alan-donald-a8126461.html 24 December 2017 live https://web.archive.org/web/20190604075338/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tiananmen-square-massacre-death-toll-secret-cable-british-ambassador-1989-alan-donald-a8126461.html 4 June 2019 MacFarquhar Roderick The Politics of China: Sixty Years of The People's Republic of China https://books.google.com/books?id=Ay8Gqjob20oC 2011 Cambridge University Press 978-1139498227 31 March 2019 28 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190628170401/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ay8Gqjob20oC live MacKinnon Rebecca Chinese human rights official says the crackdown 'completely correct' 2 June 1999 http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9906/02/tiananmen/MacKinnon/zhu.muzhi.html CNN 5 March 2007 29 March 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070329051022/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9906/02/tiananmen/MacKinnon/zhu.muzhi.html live Martel Ed 'The Tank Man,' a 'Frontline' Documentary, Examines One Man's Act in Tiananmen Square The New York Times 11 April 2006 https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/11/arts/television/the-tank-man-a-frontline-documentary-examines-one-mans-act.html 16 March 2019 limited 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331022517/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/11/arts/television/the-tank-man-a-frontline-documentary-examines-one-mans-act.html live Mathews Jay 2 June 1989 Chinese Army Moving Closer to Protesters: Finances, Leadership Split Student Ranks The Washington Post 734005592 Mathews Jay The Myth of Tiananmen September–October 1998 https://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php Columbia Journalism Review 31 March 2019 23 December 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161223020700/http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php live The Memory Of Tiananmen – The Tank Man Frontline PBS https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/cron/ CITEREFFrontline: Memory of Tiananmen2006 16 September 2017 28 June 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110628223107/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/cron/ live Miles James A. 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https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/world/asia/15china.html 18 September 2010 The New York Times limited 4 February 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100204044321/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/world/asia/15china.html live Jan Wong Troops Brace for Attack in Beijing The Globe and Mail 6 June 1989 A1 https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31086212 Security tight on Tiananmen anniversary Andy Wong 3 June 2009 MSNBC 27 March 2019 27 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190327002831/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31086212/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/security-tight-tiananmen-anniversary/ live Wright Kate The Political Fortunes of Shanghai's World Economic Herald The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs 23 23 1990 121–132 10.2307/2158797 2158797 157680075 Wu Renhua 2009 zh:六四事件中的戒严部队 zh Military Units Enforcing Martial Law During the June 4 Incident http://www.beijing1989.com/wordpress/ https://web.archive.org/web/20071017040654/http://www.beijing1989.com/wordpress/ dead 17 October 2007 16 July 2013 真相出版社 Hong Kong 978-0982320389 Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 六四北京戒严部队的数量和番号 23 April 2010 Number of Beijing martial law units on June 4 Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201004/wurenhua/10_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Troop Estimate 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042756/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201004/wurenhua/10_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 天安门广场清场命令的下达 4 May 2010 The release of Tiananmen Square clearance order Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201005/wurenhua/1_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Clear the Square 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042758/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201005/wurenhua/1_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 戒严部队军警的死亡情况 23 May 2010 Casualties of military police in martial law forces Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology http://blog.boxun.com/hero/201005/wurenhua/5_1.shtml CITEREFWu: PLA casualties 7 June 2013 18 May 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130518032024/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/201005/wurenhua/5_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 戒严部队的挺进目标和路线 5 June 2010 The advance target and route of the martial law forces Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology http://blog.boxun.com/hero/201006/wurenhua/2_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Troop Movements 3 July 2013 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304233116/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/201006/wurenhua/2_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 89天安门事件大事记: 6月3日 星期六 5 June 2010 1989 Tiananmen Square incident Highlights: Saturday, June 3 Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201106/wurenhua/3_1.shtml CITEREFWu: 3 June 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042806/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201106/wurenhua/3_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 六部口坦克追轧学生撤退队伍事件 12 June 2010 Incident at Liubukou When Tanks Ran Over Retreating Group of Students Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201006/wurenhua/5_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Tanks Ran Over Students 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331022519/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201006/wurenhua/5_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 天安门事件的最后一幕 Last act of the Tiananmen incident (page 1) Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Last Act (1) 31 March 2019 1 July 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180701094607/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_1.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 天安门事件的最后一幕 Last act of the Tiananmen incident (page 2) Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_2.shtml CITEREFWu: Last Act (2) 31 March 2019 3 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190503004325/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_2.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 天安门事件的最后一幕 Last act of the Tiananmen incident (page 3) Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_3.shtml CITEREFWu: Last Act (3) 31 March 2019 17 June 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115454/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_3.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 天安门事件的最后一幕 Last act of the Tiananmen incident (page 4) Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_4.shtml CITEREFWu: Last Act (4) 31 March 2019 3 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190503053658/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/64/27_4.shtml live Wu Renhua Boxun blog zh: 89天安门事件大事记: 6月4日 星期日 4 June 2011 1989 Tiananmen Events: Sunday, June 4 Wu Renhua 4 June Anthology https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201106/wurenhua/4_1.shtml CITEREFWu: Sunday 4 June 2011 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331022520/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201106/wurenhua/4_1.shtml live Wu Wei Why China's Political Reforms Failed https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/why-chinas-political-reforms-failed/ The Diplomat 4 June 2015 16 April 2018 10 July 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190710153352/https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/why-chinas-political-reforms-failed/ live Wudunn Sheryl China's Newspapers, After Crackdown by Beijing, Revert to a Single Voice 22 June 1989 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/22/world/china-s-newspapers-after-crackdown-by-beijing-revert-to-a-single-voice.html The New York Times limited 31 March 2019 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042735/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/22/world/china-s-newspapers-after-crackdown-by-beijing-revert-to-a-single-voice.html live Young clerk let Tiananmen ad slip past censors: paper 6 June 2007 https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHKG14616220070606 5 August 2008 Reuters CITEREFYoung clerk let2007 16 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080516131309/http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHKG14616220070606 live Zetter Kim https://www.wired.com/2009/06/china-censors-internet-before-tiananmen-square-anniversary/ China Censors: The Tiananmen Square Anniversary Will Not Be Tweeted 2 June 2009 30 March 2019 Wired 31 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042644/https://www.wired.com/2009/06/china-censors-internet-before-tiananmen-square-anniversary/ live Zhang Liang The Tiananmen Papers: The Chinese Leadership's Decision to Use Force, in Their Own Words 2001 Andrew Nathan Andrew Nathan Perry Link Perry Link Public Affairs 978-1586481223 The Tiananmen Papers CITEREFL. Zhang2001 Zhao Dingxin Dingxin Zhao The Power of Tiananmen: State-Society Relations and the 1989 Beijing Student Movement https://books.google.com/books?id=AyXLygAACAAJ 2001 University of Chicago Press 978-0226982601 CITEREFD. Zhao2001 31 March 2019 24 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190624155436/https://books.google.com/books?id=AyXLygAACAAJ live Zhao Ziyang Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang 2009 Bao Pu Renee Chiang Adi Ignatius Simon & Schuster 978-1439149386 CITEREFZ. Zhao2009 https://archive.org/details/prisonerofstates00zhao External links no yes Assignment: China – Tiananmen Square – US-China Institute https://china.usc.edu/assignment-china-tiananmen-square china.usc.edu Includes footage of the shutting down of CNN, and interviews with Al Pessin (VOA) and John Pomfret (AP), both of whom were expelled soon after the protests. Tiananmen Square, 1989 from Indiana University Indianapolis University Archive Digital Collections Over 400 black and white photographs taken Dr. Edgar Huang, a faculty member at IUI. He was then a university instructor and a documentary photographer in Beijing. "After the Tiananmen Square Massacre (1989) | Secretly Filmed News Rushes Days after Mass Deaths" from ITN archives first made public in 2026 Category:1980s in Beijing Category:1989 in Beijing Category:1989 in China Category:1989 protests Category:April 1989 in China Category:Censorship in China Category:Chinese democracy movements Category:Civil rights protests Category:Cold War history of China Category:1989 conflicts Category:Deng Xiaoping Category:Filmed killings in Asia Category:Historical negationism in China Category:June 1989 in China Category:Labour movement in China Category:Martial law Category:Massacres committed by the People's Republic of China Category:Massacres in 1989 Category:Massacres of protesters in China Category:May 1989 in China Category:Political controversies in China Category:Riots and civil disorder in China Category:Socialism in China Category:Student protests in China Category:Tiananmen Square