| 15 April |
Hu Yaobang, former General Secretary of the
Communist Party and well known reformer, dies. Posters begin to
appear mourning his death. |
| 19 April |
Students march to Zhongnanhai, where the government
leaders live, to have a sit-in demonstration. Students and police
clash. |
| 22 April |
Funeral for Hu Yaobang. |
| 26 April |
Demonstrations continue, but the official
newspaper, People's Daily, says the protests are just an "organized
conspiracy to sow chaos." More than 150,000 angry students
break through police lines and return to Tiananmen Square. |
| 4 May |
100,000 students protest. |
| 13 May |
Frustrated by the lack of official response
to their demands, more than 1,000 students launch a hunger strike. |
| 17-18 May |
Close to 1 million people march to the Square
to support the hunger strike. |
| 19 May |
Students and citizens prevent troops from
entering Tiananmen Square. |
| 30 May |
The "Goddess of Democracy" is erected
in the Square. |
| 2 June |
PLA (People's Liberation Army) troops with
tanks and armored personnel carriers enter Beijing to clear the
Square. |
| 3 June |
Scattered shooting in the streets of Beijing;
hundreds killed. |
| 4 June |
During the early morning hours, troops clear
Tiananmen Square. |
