Although the Chinese government has never confirmed exactly what happened and how many unarmed protesters were killed during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, the mass demonstrations resulted in one of the most iconic photos of the decade, if not the century: Tank Man, a lone, still unidentified figure in a white shirt, faces down a row of tanks. He was eventually pulled out of the way, but it’s estimated that as many as 10,000 were killed during the protests that have largely been wiped from China’s history books.
Events started with the death of Hu Yaobang, a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party who was known for his vocal support of turning the country away from Maoist doctrine, corruption, and a government overhaul. He died on April 15, 1989, and almost immediately, students began gathering in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mourn, organize, and continue to call for the reforms that he had championed.
Those student-led protests spread, and by April 22, 100,000 students attended his memorial service before continuing their protests. They boycotted classes, gave speeches, held rallies, marches, and hunger strikes, and gained global attention — especially after a mass sit-in drew a crowd of an estimated 1.2 million people. Things came to a head when the government decided to call in military troops, and the firing started on June 3. By June 5, the military had taken control of the city, and according to the Chinese government’s official story, 261 people were killed.
