Looking Back on China's Spring of 1989

China’s spring of 1989 began with the death of a man. It ended seven weeks later with the death of hundreds.

Hu Yaobang died on 15. April 1989. The reformer had been removed from power two years before, accused of bourgeois liberalism. His death triggered a demand for reforms and dissatisfaction about widespread corruption. The day before his funeral some 100,000 students gathered in front of the gates of Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

The students called for human rights, freedom of speech and an end to censorship. They also wanted Prime Minister Li Peng to accept a petition from them.

But the hardliner did not appear. His answer came four days later, while the party’s reformist General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was on a state visit to North Korea, in the form of a sharp-tongued editorial in the People's Daily condemning the pro-democracy movement, saying the protests were counter-revolutionary and accusing small pockets of the population of plotting civil unrest.

Disappointed by the government’s harsh reaction

The students were appalled. They wanted the government to retract this statement. Wang Dan was one of the movement’s leaders: “The editorial of 26th April took us completely by surprise. We hadn’t expected the government to pass such a nasty judgement on us. We knew we couldn’t keep up with the government’s propaganda machine without massive street actions. Otherwise the people would not find out the truth about us.”

The next day, students from over 40 universities made their way to Tiananmen Square to demonstrate against the editorial. Up to 100,000 protesters from all walks of life began to gather on a daily basis.

The party was gearing up for 4. May celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the 1919 student movement. The communists considered themselves the legitimate heirs of these students.

The students of 1989 organised their own alternative celebrations. But on 10. May, Wang Dan called for a return to the universities in an interview with Canadian television:

“The student movement has to develop,” he said. “No more massive street actions, no more lecture boycotts. Instead we need a building up of democracy with ground roots work on campus -- the legalisation of student associations, independent student newspapers and campus radios. This work is perhaps not so impressive but it is extremely important.”

Division of student movement

Mikhail Gorbachev was due to visit on 15. May -- the first time a Soviet head was visiting China in over 30 years. Some students wanted to use this historic occasion to put pressure on the government to retract the People’s Daily editorial. On 13. May, some 300 students began a hunger strike on Tiananmen Square. Gorbachev’s visit was overshadowed by the protests.

On 19. May, moderate party secretary Zhao Ziyang made a tearful appeal to the students to end their hunger strike and leave the square -- he was never seen again in public, dying under house arrest 15 years later.

People’s Army enters Beijing

Later on the same day, Prime Minister Li Peng promised to tow a hard line. Martial law was declared on 20. May and the People’s Army entered Beijing for the first time since the foundation of the People’s Republic in 1949.

But the citizens of Beijing climbed onto the vehicles and talked to the soldiers. One young man spoke to the “officers and soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army: I call on your conscience and your courage! Be a real people’s army! Don’t become the tool of a small handful of people. Don’t become the shame of the nation!“

The army pulled out of Beijing and the students decided to leave Tiananmen Square on 30. May, 10 days after martial law had been declared.

However, some protesters refused to give up. Art students erected a sculpture based on the Statue of Liberty on Tiananmen Square. Ten metres high, the statue called "Goddess of Democracy" stood for three days.

But troops re-entered Beijing on 3. June at night. The People’s Army had received orders to shoot on the people. Tanks cleared Tiananmen Square. Nobody knows how many people died. Official figures say 241 died including soldiers. Human rights groups estimate the numbers are much higher.

Authors: Matthias von Hein & Anne Thomas
Editor: Disha Uppal