At approximately 5:00 am, Zhao Ziyang, Li Peng, Qiao Shi anf Hu Qili went to visit students at Xiehe Hospital and Tongren Hospital.

 

At about 6:00am, the student broadcasting station read out a public letter written by some PLA officials. The letter, addressed to the Central Military Commission, stated that they were determined not to execute a violent crackdown.

 

A meeting between student representatives and some government leaders, including Li Peng, Yan Mingfu, and Li Tieying, was held from 11:00 am to noon at the Great Hall of the People. Neither side showed any willingness to compromise. The students leaders' key demand was a reappraisal of the democracy movement, but Li Peng refused, saying that even if students had not wished to stir up turmoil, turmoil had occurred, and that in the last few days, "Beijing had fallen into a kind of anarchy. " Li affirmed that the main concern of the Party was the strikers' health. He concluded his opening remark by saying, "You are like my children, my own children." Student leader Wuer Kaixi interrupted Li, saying, "We do not have much time and we are feeling uncomfortable sitting here knowing that our classmates are starving outside... The fact is that it is not you who invited us to talk but it is we, on behalf of the people in the square, who invited you to this meeting..."

 

As conditions for calling an end to the hunger strike, the student representatives demanded that either Zhao Ziyang or Li Peng speak directly to the students at the square and that a public apology to the people of the whole nation condemning the April 26th Editorial be published in People's Daily. The students also demanded that the government rescind its view of the democratic movement as turmoil. No direct and concrete response to the students' demands were made by the official presented, but Beijing city mayor Chen Xitong and Premier Li Peng expressed concern that an escalation of the demonstrations would cause social disorder throughout the nation.

 

At the Sqaure, the hunger strike reached its sixth day. Approximately 2000 people were sent to hospitals. Many strikers also stopped drinking water. Students from the Central Academy of Performing Arts had already fasted for more than 128 hours and stopped drinking water for 59 hours. Hundreds of students lost consciousness and, according to local doctors, many of their lives were at stake.

 

All the articles in People's Daily determined that the students' motives were patriotic.

Large demonstrations of over 10,000 strong had erupted in nearly 30 cities across China.

 

For your reference: A transcript of the 5.18 dialogue