Tienanmen Square in Beijing is not only famous with its size: 440,000 square meters. It also became notorious after the massacre. I took this picture 15 years after the event that came to be known as the Tienanmen Square Massacre on June 4, 1989 which is the sad and bloody end to an unprecedented series of events in the history of China. What began as a mourning ceremony for their former General Secretary Hu Yaobang became a mass movement for democratic reform in the Chinese government.
On May 13th, two thousand students announced the beginning of a hunger strike and the Monument to the People's Heroes became the headquarters. To draw increasing media coverage, hunger strikers wore headbands printed with the word "Fasting", and coats with the message "Without democracy, we would rather die." Faculty members from the colleges and families of the students started filling the square; a step that put their careers in jeopardy, but gave the protest more legitimacy in the public eye. An estimated 2 million people took to the streets of Beijing to show their support of the hunger strike. Factory workers, noted intellectuals, journalists and even a thousand members of the People's Liberation Army came out in support with severe criticism of the government's lack of action. They publicly stated they did not want to use force to end the demonstration, and demanded that military surgeons should be sent in to help the strikers. Some even said that the military should lead the way in reforms. Army officers infiltrated the suburbs, taking over radio and TV stations. By May 22nd, Beijing was surrounded with 100,000 troops. By June 2nd, two hundred thousand troops were in the city. Ten thousand troops attempted to enter the square, but were blocked by the crowds. Despite the growing sense of fear, students vowed to remain in the square at the risk of their lives. Troops on foot moved down city streets, provoking attack and indiscriminately beating citizens. Tienanmen Square was surrounded and closed off, trapping all the protesters inside. Tear gas was fired and two hundred police officers charged the crowd and beat everyone with electric clubs. On through the night, these events continued. Gun fire could be heard on the outskirts of the city. Around 2:00 a.m. armored cars surrounded the square and then plowed through roadblocks set up by protesters. Gun fire opened into the trapped crowds from machine guns on armored cars and soldiers on foot. Columns of tanks plowed through, running over and mutilating people beyond recognition. Piles of dead bodies were then quickly covered and burned, preventing an accurate death toll from ever being counted. Area hospitals reported at least 7,000 dead -- not including those who were burned.
i still havent managed to get up there yet. maybe this summer. good shot and has now given me something interesting to look forward to. thanks for the statement about the square as well. something you'll never read about here in china.
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{K:49168} 12/29/2004