What They Did

“what they did”

April 17 Thousands of students march in Beijing and Shanghai

• April 18 2,000 students from Beijing bicycle into Tiananmen Square and protest before the Great Hall of the People. Included in their demands for democratic reforms is the repudiation of official campaigns against freedom of the press. • Repudiation-rejecting or disowning or disclaiming as invalid

• April 22 Students defy police orders to leave the square, while riots break out in the provincial capitals of Xian and Changsha. Official memorial ceremonies are held for Hu at the Great Hall of the People.

• April 23 Beijing students announce a boycott of university classes

Policeman supporting students

• April 24 Tens of thousands of students at Beijing universities go on strike, demanding a dialogue with the government.

• April 27 Bolstered by broad-based support, more than 150,000 students surge past police lines and fill Tiananmen Square, chanting slogans for democracy and freedom.

• April 29 Government officials meet with student leaders, but independent student groups say they will continue a class boycott at 41 university campuses in Beijing.

• May 2 6,000 students march in Shanghai.

• May 4 100,000 students and supporters march on Tiananmen square to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China's first student movement, while similar demonstrations are held in Shanghai, Nanjing and other cities. 300 journalists protest outside the official Xinhua News Agency.