Introduction: Tremble & Obey (01:51)

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Those who participated in the protests remember the Tiananmen Square massacre. Thirty years later, the government wants to erase the protests from the nation's collective memory. This video examines how the crackdown of the People's Liberation Army changed China. (Credits)

Student Demonstrations (04:18)

Former Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang dies. Peking University student Wang Dan calls for freedom and democracy, and becomes one of the Chinese government's most wanted dissenters. Wu'er Kaixi establishes a student federation to coordinate the protests.

Enemies of the State (03:34)

Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping asks "The People's Daily" to print an editorial denouncing the students' movement. Protestors organize a hunger strike and occupy Tiananmen Square. Rose Tang joins the picket line at the Monument to People's Heroes, protecting leaders from the media.

Voice of the Student Movement (03:32)

Zhou Fengsuo organizes a broadcast station on Tiananmen Square. Mothers deliver food and water, supporting the students. Millions of Chinese are connected by a dream for a better China.

Mikhail Gorbachev Visits (02:34)

Students want to gather worldwide support by blocking Yang Shangkun from greeting the Soviet leader in Tiananmen Square. Deng resolves to remove the students in any manner possible. Zhao Ziyang is sympathetic to the movement; Li Peng visits hospitalized hunger strikers.

Televised Dialogue (02:13)

Li Peng lectures the students about the chaos throughout Beijing and advocates withdrawal from Tiananmen Square.

Martial Law (07:10)

On May 19th, 1989, Zhao warns students he cannot protect them and pleads for an end to the hunger strike. The Chinese government purges the head of the Communist Party. People flock to protect the demonstrators; authorities use traffic cameras as surveillance tools.

Fourth Day of Martial Law (02:17)

Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army are stranded in the suburbs of Beijing. The number of student demonstrators falls considerably and foreign media thinks the protests are over. Students build a Goddess of Democracy statue out of plastic and Styrofoam.

Violence in Beijing (06:08)

People prevent soldiers from entering Tiananmen Square. The government issues orders that they must enter and to open fire if stopped; soldiers' lack of riot weapons shocks journalists. Wang Nan gets shot while riding towards the square.

Tiananmen Square (07:04)

Students realize the government wants to kill them; the Goddess of Democracy statue is destroyed. A lone man with shopping bags attempts to stop the military. Those who gave their lives are the true heroes of the student demonstration.

Protest Aftermath (03:29)

Several students are placed on the most wanted list. The Chinese government uses surveillance footage to arrest activists for crimes against the state. Authorities tell family members that the person died while attempting to escape.

Taboo Subject (03:56)

The Chinese government wants citizens to forget the massacre. Parents are forced to sign a statement saying their child died in an accident if they want to collect the body. Deng strikes a deal with the Chinese people for economic freedom.

Credits: Tremble & Obey (00:25)

Credits: Tremble & Obey