Tiananmen Square

Summary: In the spring of 1989, democracy bloomed briefly in China, spurred on by the jubilant protests of Beijing university students, encouraged by a million onlookers. Then on 4 June 1989, the Chinese military crushed the pro-democracy movement by a bloody massacre in Tiananmen Square. Among the foreign reporters on the scene were Scott Simmie and Bob Nixon. In this book they portray not only the events which took place but also the sights and sounds and emotions of the crowd. Well placed and well connected to learn the stories behind the day-to-day occurrences, and the real situation underlying official pronouncements, Simmie and Nixon present a thorough, well-researched analysis which sets the protests of 1989 into an historical and political context. As well, Simmie and Nixon reveal a more sombre story through interviews with victims of past repressions in revolutionary China. From China's leading dissident, Fang Lizhi, to a former prima ballerina who suffered terribly during the Cultural Revolution, these voices lend human insight into the undercurrents which swayed the events of 1989. The authors weave these elements of personal and public tragedy into a book which captures the spirit of the Chinese people's passionate quest for democracy.