The Forgotten Summer of 1989
For seven weeks, over a million protesters occupied central Beijing to demand political reform. The movement ended abruptly when the government deployed military force to clear the square, forever changing China's history.
What began as a series of student-led mourning demonstrations quickly evolved into a massive call for democratic change and transparency. The protestors maintained a peaceful presence for weeks, even constructing a Goddess of Democracy statue in the heart of the square. Tensions ultimately reached a breaking point, leading to a violent crackdown that silenced the movement overnight. Today, the Chinese government continues to strictly censor any public discussion or academic references regarding these historic events.