-
Establishment of the People's Republic of China.
Mao Announcing The Establishment of PRC
Atop Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) on October 1, Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment of the People's Republic of China. -
Premier Premier Zhou Enlai Dies
Premier Zhou Enlai dies on January 8. In April, thousands of people gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate him and criticize Mao's closest associates. Clashes between mourners and police result in the "Tiananmen Incident," which the government brands as a counter-revolutionary event. -
Death of Mao zedong
Mao Zedong dies on September 9. On October 6, Mao's four closest associates--including his wife, Jiang Qing--are arrested. Deng gradually rises to power once more, and the official verdict of the "Tiananmen Incident" is overturned. -
US and China relations
On January 1, the United States and the People's Republic of China formally establish diplomatic relations. -
Chinese Communist Leader Visits the US
Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping arrives in the U.S. on January 28, the first official visit ever by a senior Chinese Communist leader. The government suppresses the "Democracy Wall" and arrests several activists, the most famous among them being Wei Jingsheng. Wei is sentenced to fifteen years in prison. -
Hu Yaobang Dies
Former Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang, deposed in 1987, dies of a massive heart attack. People began to gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu and voice their discontents -
Hu Yaobang Memorial Service
The official memorial service for Hu Yaobang is held in the Great Hall of the People. Demanding to meet with Premier Li Peng, three student representatives carry a petition and kneel on the steps of the Great Hall in front of the 100,000 students who have gathered in the Square the night before. Li Peng does not respond, and the students refuse to let minor officials pass on the petition. Angered by official apathy, students begin boycotting classes. -
Newspaper Editorial
The Communist Party newspaper People's Daily publishes an editorial accusing a "small handful of plotters" of stirring up student unrest and creating turmoil in order to overthrow the Communist Party and the socialist system. -
March to Tianamen
Ignoring warnings of violent suppression, students from more than 40 universities march to Tiananmen in protest of the April 26th editorial. -
Hunger Strikes Begin
Several hundred students begin a hunger strike at Tiananmen Square in the afternoon. -
Second Day of Hunger Strike
Second day of hunger strike. In the afternoon, elected student representatives charged with the responsibility for dialogue with the government begin formal talks with the government. The talks breaks down because the promised broadcast does not materialize. In the early evening, twelve of China's most famous writers and scholars present their emergency appeals at the Square, calling on the government to acknowledge the movement as a patriotic democracy movement. Telling them to end the strike. -
Seventh Day of Hunger Strike
Seventh day of hunger strike. The government's plan for martial law is leaked to student leaders, who call off the hunger strike and declare a mass sit-in. The Independent Workers Union (IWU) is founded at Tiananmen Square. n an evening speech, Premier Li Peng calls for "firm and resolute measures to end the turmoil swiftly. -
Government Declares Martial Law
The government formally declares martial law in Beijing, but the army's advance towards the city is blocked by large numbers of students and citizens -
Goddess of Democracy
The 10 metre statue was constructed in only four days out of foam and papier-mâché over a metal armature. The constructors decided to make the statue as large as possible so the government would be unable to dismantle it. The government would either have to destroy the statue—an action which would potentially fuel further criticism of its policies—or leave it standing. -
Troops Receive Orders to Reclaim Tiananmen Square
Troops receive orders to reclaim Tiananmen Square at all cost. Around 10:00 pm, soldiers open fire on people who try to block the army's advance, as well as on those who are simply shouting at the troops. Tanks and armored personnel carriers move toward the center of the city. Many people in the streets are killed or wounded, including bystanders. -
Fall Of The Goddess
The soldiers were able to fulfill their timeline of reaching the Square on June 4, 1989 by 1 a.m. through the use of tanks and armored personnel carriers. The Goddess of Democracy had stood for only five days before being destroyed by soldiers of the People's Liberation Army in the assault on Tiananmen that would end the Democracy Movement. The toppling of the Goddess of Democracy was seen by millions across the world on television. -
Massacare
Massacare Raport
Several hundred civilians have been shot dead by the Chinese army during a bloody military operation to crush a democratic protest in Peking's (Beijing) Tiananmen Square.
Tanks rumbled through the capital's streets late on 3 June as the army moved into the square from several directions, randomly firing on unarmed protesters. -
Tank Man
Tank man
Tank Man, or the Unknown Rebel, is the nickname of an anonymous man who stood in front of a column of Chinese Type 59 tanks the morning after the Chinese military forcibly removed protesters from in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. After repeatedly attempting to go around rather than crush the man, the lead tank stopped its engines, and the armored vehicles behind it seemed to follow suit.
