Tianamen Square Remembered
Memories of the Tianamen Square Massacre
It's interesting to see people's memories of momentous events in modern times. The Tianamen Square massacre was a horrifying event. Read what people remember about it and add your own memories.
Please visit my other pages too where people share their memories of the Kennedy assassination, of Hurricane Katrina, Pearl Harbor, and other important events in recent history.
Tianamin Square 1989
What were your thoughts when you first saw this on the news? Possibly 400 to 800 people were killed and some estimates go as high as 3000.
June 4th, 1989 - Tianamen Square Massacre
- Marigold Tortelli - I was only five, but I am familiar with the iconic image of the man standing up to the tanks.
- CruiseReady from East Central Florida
- I don't remember where I was when that brave young man faced down the tanks in Tianamen square... but the image is an unforgettable one.
- aquarian_insight - I only vaguely recall this one as I was only 13 at the time. I remember my Dad telling me to watch the news with him though.
- victoriuh - This was 2 days before I graduated from high school. I felt sad because so many of the people were not that much older than me.
- mrducksmrnot - Can't remember for sure what I was doing at the time but had questions on how many were really killed as each news source had a different story.
- Markie - I was in hospital after surgery when I heard this news. It was pretty horrific and depressing especially as I was in a lot of pain.
- fugeecat lm - I was watching television with my mom and I thought the guy in front of the tanks was the coolest person on the entire planet.
- Coreena Jolene - It made me sad and angry to see what happened there. I don't understand people.
- Jennifer P Tanabe from Red Hook, NY - Oh my, yes, that man standing up to all those tanks. That was amazing!
- Joan Haines - I watched on TV and thought how significant that was. They can't cover it up. Everyone in the world is seeing this.
- Frischy from Kentucky, USA - I had just started a new job, so I was working hard and did not have much time for the news. But, I remember clearly the young people going to the Square every day and the young man standing in front of the tanks. We were all praying for him.
- jolou - I remember seeing the brave young man standing in front of the tanks, and being grateful to live in a country that cherishes its freedoms.
Do You Remember the Event Happening?
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Personal Memories of Seeing the News on Tianamen Square Massacre
Could It Happen in the U.S.?
- Nancy Carol Brown Hardin from Las Vegas, NV - I remember the feeling of watching this one poor man standing up to all those big tanks, and thinking how desperate he must be for freedom to do such a thing. And I remember thanking God that I'm in America, because "there, but for the grace of God, go I."
- Ann Hinds from So California - The first thought was how grateful I was to be an American where protesting was not a life and death event. This was a tragedy that never should have happened.
- Kate Loving Shenk from Lancaster PA - I can only say that what happened there is happening now with the police brutality towards the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
Australian Friends Share Their Memories of Tianamen Square
- norma-holt from Australia - We watched in awe as the events unfolded here. Our Prime Minister at the time, Bob Hawke, cried on air and allowed several thousands Chinese to come here.
- Bill from Gold Coast, Australia - I do remember seeing this on the TV news at the time when it happened, but as I was only 16 and in a part of the world where there was often violence, it really did not mean much to me. As I got older though it meant more, especially after I visited Tiananmen Square in 1998.
Tianamen Square - What It Looks Like Today
I remember seeing it on the news and being so sad that they'd hurt people like that.
Fast forward to now....my dentist and her husband escaped China after their involvement in the protests. They had to start their lives over in the US and she had to get her dental degree all over again because all evidence of it was left in China.
— B.F.