One month before the bloodshed in Beijing, a 10km line of protestors snaked through the city.
For over a decade China had been opening up to global trade and there was promise that, with greater economic freedoms, democratic rights might be within reach too.
In an emotional testimony, student organiser Wu'er Kaixi explains why he thought protest and demonstrations were encouraging leaders towards a more progressive China.
On 4 May 1989, with huge numbers in the streets it was a moment when many dared to believe the fight for democracy could be won. But, as Wu'er Kaixi tells Tom Bonnett, it was a brief high point. A month later, tanks and soldiers descended on the streets and sent a bloody message - protest would not be tolerated.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
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(Photo: Student protests in Beijing in May 1989. Credit: Getty Images)
