In April 1989, Chinese students began protesting on Beijing's Tiananmen Square to demand democratic reforms and an end to corruption. The rallies, sparked by the death of reformist Communist Party chief Hu Yaobang, quickly grew into mass pro-democracy demonstrations. On June 4, 1989, the Chinese military launched a violent crackdown against the protesters. The government has never released an official death toll, but estimates range from the hundreds to the thousands.
PHOTO PACKAGE: A Look Back At The Crackdown On Tiananmen Square 1989
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Student Demonstrations China, Tiananmen Square, 1989---Chinese police try in vain to contain a huge crowd of student marchers during a pro-reform demonstration in Beijing, China, May 4 1989. (AP Photo/S. Mikami)
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Medics attend to hunger strike casualties in a field hospital set up on Tuesday, May 16, 1989 in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Several thousands Beijing University students remain on strike for democracy. (AP Photo/Sadayuki Mikami)
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Journalists protest against corruption on Tiananmen Square on May 17, 1989, during the six-week stretch of mass demonstrations. AS many as 1 million people joined the protest movement.
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A truck is almost buried in people as it makes its way through the crowd of thousands gathered in Tiananmen Square in a pro-democracy rally, Wednesday, May 17, 1989 in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sadayuki Mikami)