Tiananmen Square massacre: what happened 29 years ago?

A protest, a government crackdown and one
of history’s most iconic photographs, the events of June 1989 were
a turning point for China

In Depth

On 4 June, events reached boiling point in Beijing’s
Tiananmen Square, one of the most recognisable landmarks in
China.

A brutal government crackdown was launched in the early hours of
the morning, leaving scores of civilians dead, throwing the Chinese
administration into disarray and giving the world one of the most
iconic pieces of news footage ever put to film.

So what happened in the lead-up to that fatal day?

April and May

On 15 April 1989, former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang died
suddenly.

A controversial figure owing to his desire to reform the
political and economic landscape of China, he had been forced to
resign in 1987, having made a number of high-profile enemies within
the party. 

His death was a “great loss” for China’s liberals,
according to The Atlantic. It sparked a series of student
protests that led to thousands of civilians
eventually occupying Tiananmen Square, refusing to move
until their demands for democratic reform were met. 

“As the days passed, millions of people from all walks of life
joined in, angered by widespread corruption and calling for
democracy,” the BBC says.

June massacre

Following a series of failed attempts to clear the square, on
the night of 3 June, tanks and heavily armed troops advanced toward
the protesters, “indiscriminately opening fire on
or crushing those who again tried to block their way”,
says Encyclopedia Britannica.

By the following day, the army had secured complete control.

The death toll of the massacre remains a point of
contention. The official Chinese government figure is 241
dead, including soldiers, and a further 7,000 injured, but
independent analysts have suggest that the death toll may have
reached upwards of 10,000.

Tank Man

The enduring image of the conflict is that of a lone
unidentified man carrying two shopping bags crossing the street the
day after the massacre, preventing a column of tanks from
advancing.

The moment was caught on film by photographer Jeff Widener, and
the man in the photo has since become known as Tank Man – a symbol
of “individualistic defiance against repression”, The Japan Times says.

Chinese artist and cartoonist Badiucao, who started the hashtag #TankMan2018
to raise awareness, says Tank Man represents “something lost
in China’s young generation now — the idealism, passion, sense of
responsibility, and confidence that an individual can make a
change”.

The identity and fate of the man in the photo has never been
revealed by the Chinese government.