Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Tank Man: How a Photograph Defined China's Protest Movement
    Tank Man: How a Photograph Defined China's Protest Movement
    Tank Man: How a Photograph Defined China's Protest Movement
    Ebook78 pages40 minutes

    Tank Man: How a Photograph Defined China's Protest Movement

    By Michael Burgan

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    No one knew his name. But soon millions would know about his bravery. For almost two months in spring 1989, Beijing’s Tiananmen Square had been the site of growing protests against China's hardline communist  government. In early June, China’s leaders had had enough. In a matter of days soldiers cleared the square. They used sticks and cattle prods. They shot rubber bullets, then real ones. They used bayonets. Student protesters fought back with firebombs and rocks, but they were no match for the soldiers. Gunfire still rang out in parts of Beijing, but China’s leaders felt in control. As tanks rumbled through the streets near Tiananmen Square, a man in a white shirt came suddenly into view. He held up his right hand, like a police officer trying to halt traffic. The first huge tank in a row of four stopped just a few feet in front of the man. The tanks behind it stopped as well. Photographer Jeff Widener took a picture of the brave protester halting the huge armored fighting vehicles. The image was soon sent around the world, becoming one of the most famous photographs ever.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateJan 1, 2014
    ISBN9780756549664
    Author

    Michael Burgan

    Michael Burgan has written more than 250 books for children and young adults. His specialty is history, with an emphasis on biography. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in history, Burgan is also a produced playwright and the editor of The Biographer’s Craft, the newsletter for Biographers International Organization. He first started writing for children as an editor at Weekly Reader before beginning his freelance career in 1994. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

    Read more from Michael Burgan

    Related to Tank Man

    Related ebooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Tank Man

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Tank Man - Michael Burgan

      Index

      Chapter One

      CRACKDOWN

      They came from the city and the countryside, more than 100,000 Chinese soldiers. On June 2, 1989, they ringed the city of Beijing, the capital of China. For almost two months, the city’s Tiananmen Square had been the site of growing protests in favor of political and economic reforms. Now the military was ready to end the protests once and for all and restore order.

      The first protesters to gather at the square had been students from Beijing universities. Then students from outside the capital joined them, and so did teachers and workers. At first the students only wanted to honor one of their country’s leaders, who had died in April. But within days their tributes turned to protests against China’s strict government. The Communist Party controlled the government and most areas of life in China, and no other political groups had a say in what happened. The students wanted to change that. As the protests went on, and the world’s attention focused on Tiananmen Square, Chinese government officials debated what to do. Now they were ready to act.

      A sea of student protesters gathers in Tiananmen Square in early May 1989. The Chinese government ended the protest with a bloody crackdown one month later.

      A HISTORIC SQUARE

      Several of China’s most important historic structures are in and around Tiananmen Square, which is in the heart of Beijing. The oldest is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which dates to the 1400s, though it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Notable buildings include a hall dedicated to Mao Zedong, the first leader of the People’s Republic of China, the official name for the country.

      Tiananmen Square was also the site of another protest led by college students. In 1919 thousands of them gathered to show their anger over the Treaty of Versailles, which had ended World War I. The treaty, the protesters thought, was unfair to China because it did not return some Chinese land to the country’s control. The activity began on May 4 of that year, and it sparked more protests and calls for reform that became known as the May 4th Movement. The People’s Republic of China later honored these early student protesters, who had helped awaken a desire for a stronger China. Some of the protest leaders also had helped promote communism in China—the form of government still practiced there today.

      Soldiers stood guard at Tiananmen Square after the 1989 protesters were silenced.

      The next day, June 3, several thousand of the troops began entering the city and heading to Tiananmen Square. As they moved forward, tens of thousands of Chinese people flooded the streets of Beijing, hoping to stop them. One young man called to the soldiers, You are the people’s army. The students’ movement is patriotic, and you mustn’t use violence against it. Think about it. But the soldiers had

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1