On 15th April 1989, Chinese Communist Party ex-Secretary Hu yaobang die. Hu, an un-corrupted leader rarely found in the government, was accused of failing to implement the “Anti-bourgeois  liberation” and was forced out of office. Citizens and students of Beijing spontaneously organised activities to commemorate Hu. In Tiananmen Square they protested against the privileges, corruption and illegal dealings of government officials, and they demanded dialogue with the Government.

On 18th April, tens of thousands of students staged a sit-in at Tiananmen Square and put forward their "Seven Demands". The next day students protested outside Zhongnanhai Xinhuamen and confronted the police. Two days later the police dispersed the protest by force. Over 300 students and a Hong Kong reporter were injured in the incident.

On 21st April, Beijing students protested against police crackdown by marching to Tiananmen Square and staging an overnight sit-in. Fourty-seven scholars jointly submitted an open-letter to the Chinese Communist Party, the National People’s Congress and the State Council to support the students' demands.

On 22nd Apri, Chinese Government held official ceremony to commemorate Hu. Over 100,000 students gathered at Tiananmen Square under the surveillance of 10,000 millitary police. The students demanded a dialogue and tried to submit a petition letter to the Government. Their pleads were ignored.

 

 

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• The Tankman (PBS Production, 2006)

  A documentary about Tiananmen and its aftermath