Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989

by Jessica Yu

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as June

Fourth Incident, were a series of student led, pro-democracy

demonstrations against the Chinese government. Inspired by

western democratic ideals, college students started hunger

strikes and marched in front of Tiananmen Square in Beijing,

demanding for major economic and social reform. They called for

the end of nepotism and corruption of government officials as

well as freedom of speech and press. The protests lasted for

several weeks until June Fourth, 1989, when the Chinese

government declared martial law and open fired onto the

protestors. The events on June Fourth are also called the

Tiananmen Square massacre.

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For such a tragic event, why isn’t the Tiananmen Square

Massacre more well known? Because of the censorship of media

in China, the entire record of the protests and the massacre has

been completely wiped out from Chinese history. Immediately

following the massacre, the Chinese government banned western

reports from entering the country and forbid any media site to

cover it. Without media coverage, the rest of the world was

oblivious to this event.The number of individuals killed by military

tanks or by police brutality are still unknown today, from

estimates ranging from hundreds to thousands. To this day in

China, mentioning the events or the date “June Fourth” is

prohibited and will result in imprisonment and death. Younger

generations in China are completely unaware of these events, as

if it had never happened.

As members of western society, where we are free to

discuss about anything without fear of being threatened, the

events of Tiananmen Square are crucial for us to understand. The

rights that those students fought for and were unable to receive

are the same rights that we often take for granted everyday. It is

our responsibility to remember parts of history that others want

to wipe out, and to appreciate the freedom given to us.