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SCMP Reporter

April 15 & 17:  General-Secretary Hu Yaobang , who backed greater democracy on the mainland,  died. Thousands of  students  gathered outside the Great Hall of the People to mourn his death  and demand democratic and anti-corruption reforms.

May 13: Up to 3,000 students staged a hunger strike at Tiananmen Square. The pro-democracy movement, supported by ordinary citizens, quickly spread to other cities.

May 19:  Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang   visited students  at Tiananmen Square and tearfully begged them to leave.

May 20:  Martial Law declared.

June 3 & 4: The  Tiananmen Square demonstrations were suppressed.  The media captured images of  bodies on the streets and  injured protesters.



How it unfolded