Tiananmen(China)Then and now: Tiananmen Square protest’s iconic scenes

A quarter of a century has elapsed since China’s Communist Party acted with deadly force against protesters — mainly students. Now, everyday life continues in these historic spaces. 

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May 27, 2014

June 5, 1989

On left, a lone Chinese man stands to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Changan Boulevard near Tiananmen Square. On the same spot 25 years later, a convoy of cars drives across the boulevard.

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May 29, 2014

April 18, 1989

On left, a Chinese student leader reads a list of demands to students staging a sit-in in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. On right, Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers march to their positions for a welcome ceremony.

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May 29, 2014

May 16, 1989

On left, medics rush a Beijing University student from Tiananmen Square after he collapsed on the third day of a hunger strike. On right, high school students carry flags after they performed a ceremonial post guarding of Young Pioneers, a Communist Party youth group.

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May 31, 2014

May 28, 1989

On left, students rest in litter on Tiananmen Square as their strike for government reform enters its third week. On right, Chinese tourists take souvenir photos as slogans are shown on electric screens.

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May 28, 2014

June 10, 1989

On left, Peoples Liberation Army troops stand guard with tanks in front of Tiananmen Gate. Almost 25 years later, on right, Chinese policemen march through to clear tourists from the area for a flag-lowering ceremony.