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Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square The world's largest square in the centre of Beijing. It has frequently been the centre of demonstrations in China. For instance, on 5 April 1976 around 100,000 people met to mourn the death of Zhou Enlai, and implicitly to demonstrate against the erratic rule of Mao Zedong. The crowd was put down by the police, while the incident was used by the Gang of Four to demote Zhou's protégé, Deng Xiaoping. In 1978, as soon as he had re-emerged as China's most powerful person, Deng reversed the official ‘counter-revolutionary’ label attached to the demonstration.
Similarly, the death of Hu Yaobang sparked off demonstrations on Tiananmen Square, which students, teachers, and human rights activists began to occupy from 22 April 1989 while boycotting lectures at Beijing University. The demonstration took place against a background of reform in other Communist countries such as the Soviet Union and Poland. A month later, the number of demonstrators had swelled to over one million people. On 30 May, art students erected the Goddess of Democracy, a 10 metre (30 foot) high statue loosely modelled on the American Statue of Liberty. Martial law was imposed on 20 May, and 300,000 troops advanced into Beijing. It put the occupation to a bloody end on 3–4 June, killing every person in sight. Eleven students who had joined hands to protect the Goddess of Democracy were mowed down, together with up to 3,000 other people, while up to 10,000 were wounded, in addition to countless arrests. While the massacre incensed world opinion and damaged China's reputation for years, the demonstration enabled the conservative hardliners within the party to reassert themselves. They regained their influence over Deng Xiaoping, while the reformist party secretary, Chao Tzu-yang was dismissed from office. |
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-TiananmenSquare.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-TiananmenSquare.html |
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Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square large public square in Beijing , China, on the southern edge of the Inner or Tatar City. The square, named for its Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen), contains the monument to the heroes of the revolution, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (with Mao's embalmed body). Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic in the square on Oct. 1, 1949, an anniversary still observed there.
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"Tiananmen Square." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tiananmen Square." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tiananme.html "Tiananmen Square." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tiananme.html |
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Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square World's largest public square, covering 40ha (98 acres) in Beijing, China. On the s side, a marble monument is dedicated to the heroes of the revolution. A gate on the the n side leads into the Forbidden City. A huge portrait of Mao adorns the side of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. On May 4, 1919, China's first mass public rally was held in the square, and on October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China. In 1966, Mao made his pronouncements on the Cultural Revolution to more than one million Red Guards assembled in the square. In April 1989, a series of nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations culminated in the occupation of the square by protesters. Hundreds of thousands of citizens joined in the demonstrations. On June 4, 1989, tanks and troops stormed the square. Official casualties were put at more than 200 demonstrators and dozens of soldiers. Eyewitness reports suggest thousands of deaths. The government imposed a year-long martial law and executed several student leaders.
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"Tiananmen Square." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tiananmen Square." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-TiananmenSquare.html "Tiananmen Square." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-TiananmenSquare.html |
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Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square a square in the centre of Beijing adjacent to the Forbidden City, the largest public open space in the world. In spring 1989 it was occupied by hundreds of thousands of student-led protesters of the emerging pro-democracy movement. Government troops opened fire there on unarmed protesters, killing over 2,000.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tiananmen Square." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tiananmen Square." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-TiananmenSquare.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tiananmen Square." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-TiananmenSquare.html |
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Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square See CHINA.
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Cite this article
"Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-TiananmenSquare.html "Tiananmen Square." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-TiananmenSquare.html |
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