tiananmen square. everyone expects the government to act, but few predict what actually happens next. on the night of june 3rd, the square was filled with people milling around. we started getting rumors the army was starting to shoot its way into the center of downtown beijing. all of sudden we hear this noise. boom, boom, boom, boom. under orders from the government to take back the square, soldiers from the people s liberation army advance into the city center from three directions. the violence began outside of tiananmen square. as the army units came into beijing, they were met with resistance. one point, one of the carriers was set on fire and some of the chinese soldiers inside it were burned to death. they were using battlefield weapons. these were armor-piercing bullets. and the crowd was, of course, densely packed. so there were lots and lots of
after a government savagely attacks its own citizens they were using battlefield weapons. a lone man staring down tyranny becomes one of most iconic images of the 20th century. spring, 1989. the fall of communism in eastern europe inspires pro democracy demonstrations in a place few ever thought possible. china. george lewis reports the story from beijing for nbc news. well, it all kicked off on april 15th of 1989 with the death of hu yaobang who was was very popular with the young people in china. they felt under his leadership they might have more freedom and that sparked an initial round of demonstrations and the crowds kept growing, growing. in april/may of 1989, the
the chinese communist party cracked down, and they declared martial law. despite repeated warnings from the government, the protesters refused to leave tiananmen square. everyone expects the government to act, but few predict what actually happens next. on the night of june 3rd, the square was filled with people milling around. we started getting rumors the army was starting to shoot its way into the center of downtown beijing. all of sudden we hear this noise. boom, boom, boom, boom. under orders from the government to take back the square, people from the liberation army burst into the city center from three directions. the violence began outside of tiananmen square. as the army units came into beijing, they were net with resistance. one point, one of the carriers was set on fire and some of the chinese soldiers inside it were burned to death.
in april/may of 1989, the whole country erupted in these protests, and they were stunning. jan wong lived in china in the 1970s as a student and returned as a reporter for the toronto globe and mail in the late 80s. there was the beginning of opening dissent. i was quite surprised because i d never seen spontaneous political protests in china. in beijing, a million chinese were on the streets. people who lived all their lives taking orders from the government and the communist party. now openly defying authority. tiananmen square became the focal point of the protests. the square is right in front of the great hall of the people, where the seat of chinese government is. it was mind-boggling. i was in the middle of that march. i m 6 2 . i weigh 200 pounds. i was literally swept off my feet by those demonstrators. photojournalist jeff widner covered it for the associated
tactics. the chinese communist party cracked down and they declared marshall law. despite repeated warnings from the government, the protesters refused to leave tiananmmen square. few predict what actually happens next. on the night of june 3rd the square was filled with people milling around. we started getting rumors the army was starting to shoot its way into the center of downtown beijing. all of a sudden we hear this noise. boom, boom, boom, boom. under orders from the government to take back the square, soldiers from the people s liberation army advance into the city center from three directions. the violence began outside tianamen square as the army units started to come into beijing. they were met with resistance.