Remembering Tiananmen Square

Twenty-five years ago today, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) violently cleared Beijing's Tiananmen Square of protesters, ending a six-week demonstration that had called for democracy and widespread political reform.

The protests began in April of 1989, gaining support as initial government reactions included concessions.

Martial law was declared on May 20, troops were mobilized, and from the night of June 3 through the early morning of June 4, the PLA pushed into Tiananmen Square, crushing some protesters and firing on many others.

The exact number killed may never be known, but estimates range from several hundred to several thousand.

China's censors are blocking Internet access to the terms "six four," "candle," and "never forget," broadening extensive efforts to silence talk about the 25th anniversary of China's bloody June 4 crackdown.

What Became Of "Tank Man"?

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The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported in 2006 that Wang Weilin was an alias and that he had escaped the massacre in Tiananmen Square and has made his way to Taiwan via Hong Kong.

What we do know about him are his actions, captured that day in stunning video footage. 

The video shows the man blocking more than a dozen tanks that were rolling down Chang'an Avenue the day after hundreds of student protesters were gunned down by the Chinese military. 

The lead tank moves back and forth, trying to go around the man, but the man kept on blocking its path. 

The man then climbs up on the lead tank and appears to talk to one of the soldiers inside the tank. 

The man is eventually led away by his arms by two men. 

It remains unclear if those men were police or security forces, or just bystanders who were concerned about the man.

In April 1998, Time magazine included the "Unknown Rebel" in a feature titled "Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century."