Where is tiananmen square

As the movement grew, the Chinese government became increasingly uncomfortable with the protests, particularly as they disrupted a visit by Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union on May A welcome ceremony for Gorbachev originally scheduled for Tiananmen Square was instead held at the airport, although otherwise his visit passed without incident.

Even so, feeling the demonstrations needed to be curtailed, the Chinese government declared martial law on May 20 and , troops entered Beijing. By the end of May more than one million protesters had gathered in Tiananmen Square.

They held daily marches and vigils, and images of the events were transmitted by media organizations to audiences in the United States and Europe.

While the initial presence of the military failed to quell the protests, the Chinese authorities decided to increase their aggression. Although thousands of protesters simply tried to escape, others fought back, stoning the attacking troops and setting fire to military vehicles. Reporters and Western diplomats there that day estimated that hundreds to thousands of protesters were killed in the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and as many as 10, were arrested.

Leaders worldwide, including Gorbachev, condemned the military action and, less than a month later, the United States Congress voted to impose economic sanctions against China, citing human rights violations. The image of an unidentified man standing alone in defiance and blocking a column of Chinese tanks on June 5 remains a lasting one for much of the world of the events.

While the events of now dominate global coverage of Tiananmen Square, the site has long been an important crossroads within the city of Beijing. The location took on added significance as China shifted from an emperor-led political culture to one that was governed by the Communist Party. The Qing dynasty was the last dynastic power to rule China.

It governed the country from the middle of the s until The Xinhai Revolution of resulted in the overthrow of the Qings and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The early years of the Republic were marked by political turmoil, however, and the country fell under Japanese rule during the lead-up to World War II. At the end of the civil war, in , the Communist Party had gained control of most of mainland China.

A celebration to honor the occasion was held in Tiananmen Square on October 1, BEIJING AP — Thirty years since the Tiananmen Square protests, China's economy has catapulted up the world rankings, yet political repression in the country is harsher than many who watched those events would have anticipated AP — The young woman lay on a mat in the concrete hallway of a Beijing hospital on June 4, AP — The American photographer who shot the iconic image of a man standing in front of tanks at the Tiananmen protests says it's time for the Chinese government to come clean about the bloody events of 30 years ago Sections U.

For nearly three weeks, the protesters kept up daily vigils, and marched and chanted. Western reporters captured much of the drama for television and newspaper audiences in the United States and Europe. On June 4, , however, Chinese troops and security police stormed through Tiananmen Square, firing indiscriminately into the crowds of protesters.

Turmoil ensued, as tens of thousands of the young students tried to escape the rampaging Chinese forces. Other protesters fought back, stoning the attacking troops and overturning and setting fire to military vehicles. Reporters and Western diplomats on the scene estimated that at least , and perhaps thousands, of the protesters had been killed and as many as 10, were arrested.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared that he was saddened by the events in China. He said he hoped that the government would adopt his own domestic reform program and begin to democratize the Chinese political system.

In the United States, editorialists and members of Congress denounced the Tiananmen Square massacre and pressed for President George Bush to punish the Chinese government. A little more than three weeks later, the U.

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Navy since the War of The hardliners won the debate, and in the last two weeks of May, martial law was declared in Beijing. On 3 to 4 June, troops began to move towards Tiananmen Square, opening fire, crushing and arresting protesters to regain control of the area. On 5 June, a man faced down a line of tanks heading away from the square.

He was carrying two shopping bags and was filmed walking to block the tanks from moving past. It's not known what happened to him but he's become the defining image of the protests. At the end of June , the Chinese government said civilians and several dozen security personnel had died. Other estimates have ranged from hundreds to many thousands. In , newly released UK documents revealed that a diplomatic cable from then British Ambassador to China, Sir Alan Donald, had said that 10, had died.

Discussion of the events that took place in Tiananmen Square is highly sensitive in China. Posts relating to the massacres are regularly removed from the internet, tightly controlled by the government.