Tiananmen Square massacre: what happened 29 years ago?

A series of student-led protests took place in numerous cities across the People’s Republic of China in the spring of 1989, sparked by a cocktail of corruption, government nepotism and economic woes.

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.