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'89 Democracy Movement

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Tiananmen Square incident

Tiananmen Square incident, also called June Fourth incident or 6/4, series of protests and demonstrations in China in the spring of 1989 that culminated on the night of June 3-4 with a government crackdown on the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Although the demonstrations and their subsequent repression occurred in cities throughout the country, the events in Beijing--and especially in Tiananmen Square, historically linked to such other protests as the May Fourth Movement (1919)--came to symbolize the entire incident.

(source: Britannica - The Online Encyclopedia)

Tank Man

Tank man

Tank man

Jeff Widener/AP Images

The day after the Chinese military moved into Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to forcibly remove pro-democracy protesters, this anonymous “Tank Man,” as he is famously known, stood in front of a column of tanks. According to TIME, Jeff Widener snapped this photograph from the sixth floor of the Beijing Hotel on June 5, 1989. Considered to be one of the most iconic photos of the 20th century, this image was immediately published around the world.

To learn more about this influential image, click on the photograph and check out TIME’s 100 Images profile and documentary short.

BBC News - Archive: Chinese troops fire on protesters in Tiananmen Square

Content Warning:
Violence, Blood, Death or dying

Tiananmen activist leaders and supporters' books

Alternate Terms

The Terms being used

  • 6/4
  • Tiananmen Square massacre
  • Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
  • June Fourth incident (六四事件)
  • '89 Democracy Movement (八九民运)
  • 1989年春夏之交的政治风波

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  • Last Updated: Aug 22, 2023 9:43 AM
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Subjects: Political Science