Tiananmen Square Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 1703 GMT (0103 HKT) May 25, 2020

Ousted General Secretary of the Communist Party, Hu Yaobang, dies at age 73 on April 15, 1989. The next day, thousands of students gather at Tiananmen Square to mourn him -- Hu had become a symbol of reform for the student movement. A week later thousands more marched to Tiananmen Square -- the start of an occupation that would end in a tragic showdown.
Photos: 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown
Timeline: Tiananmen Square crackdown – Ousted General Secretary of the Communist Party, Hu Yaobang, dies at age 73 on April 15, 1989. The next day, thousands of students gather at Tiananmen Square to mourn him -- Hu had become a symbol of reform for the student movement. A week later thousands more marched to Tiananmen Square -- the start of an occupation that would end in a tragic showdown.
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May 13, 1989, student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square escalate into a hunger strike with thousands taking part and calling for democratic reforms.
Photos: 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown
Nil by mouth – May 13, 1989, student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square escalate into a hunger strike with thousands taking part and calling for democratic reforms.
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Student hunger strikers camp out on top of buses parked at Tiananmen Square.
Photos: 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown
Tiananmen sit in – Student hunger strikers camp out on top of buses parked at Tiananmen Square.
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