1989 年春，胡耀邦逝世引發北京大學生悼念活動，迅速演變為要求民主、反腐敗、新聞自由的全國性示威運動。最高峰時，天安門廣場聚集逾百萬學生與市民，全國各大城市響應。然而 6 月 3 日深夜至 4 日凌晨，中共動用解放軍野戰部隊與坦克進入北京，對和平民眾實施血腥鎮壓。
從悼念到絕食
4 月 15 日胡耀邦病逝後，北大、清華等校學生在天安門廣場舉行悼念。學生提出七項要求：重評胡耀邦、反官倒、新聞自由、增加教育經費等。4 月 26 日《人民日報》社論將運動定性為「動亂」，激起更大規模抗議。5 月 13 日學生開始絕食，5 月 20 日李鵬宣布北京戒嚴。
戒嚴與最後的勸退
時任中共總書記趙紫陽於 5 月 19 日凌晨親赴廣場，含淚對絕食學生說：「我們來得太晚了……同學們，你們還年輕，來日方長。」這成為他最後一次公開露面，此後遭軟禁 16 年直至 2005 年逝世。
6 月 3 日深夜至 4 日凌晨
6 月 3 日晚，第 27 集團軍、第 38 集團軍等部隊從多個方向強行進入北京。在木樨地、復興門、西單、長安街沿線，士兵向手無寸鐵的民眾開槍，坦克碾壓學生帳篷與單車。據英國解密檔案，當晚至少 10,000 人死亡；中國紅十字會初步通報為 2,600 餘人，後遭施壓撤回。確切數字至今未公開。
「坦克人」與全球記憶
6 月 5 日清晨，一名身著白衫、手提購物袋的男子在長安街上獨自擋住一列駛離廣場的坦克。攝影師 Jeff Widener、Stuart Franklin 等四人從北京飯店拍下這一幕，「坦克人」成為 20 世紀最具象徵意義的反抗影像之一。他的姓名與下落至今不明。
沉默的禁忌
「六四」是中國境內最敏感詞彙，搜索引擎、社交媒體一律屏蔽。每年 6 月 4 日前後，所有相關詞彙、燭光、甚至「8964」「五月三十五日」等隱語均被審查。香港維多利亞公園曾是全球最大悼念現場，2020 年國安法之後也徹底消失。
結語：未被審判的罪行
三十多年過去，沒有一名下令鎮壓的官員被追究，沒有一名罹難者被官方承認。「天安門母親」群體丁子霖等人三十年來持續記錄罹難者名單，至今逾 200 名有名有姓的死難者已被確認。歷史不會原諒沒有被清算的暴行——記住六四，是所有不願再被屠殺的人最低限度的責任。
In the spring of 1989, Beijing students mourning the death of reformist leader Hu Yaobang rapidly turned into a nationwide movement demanding democracy, an end to corruption, and press freedom. At its peak, over a million students and citizens filled Tiananmen Square, with major cities across China joining in. Then, in the late hours of June 3 and the early morning of June 4, the CCP sent the People's Liberation Army with tanks into Beijing to massacre unarmed civilians.
From Mourning to Hunger Strike
After Hu Yaobang died on April 15, students at Peking University and Tsinghua held memorials at Tiananmen Square, presenting seven demands including reassessing Hu, ending official corruption, and freeing the press. The April 26 People's Daily editorial branded the movement "turmoil," provoking even larger protests. On May 13 students began a hunger strike; on May 20 Premier Li Peng declared martial law in Beijing.
Martial Law and the Final Plea
In the early hours of May 19, then-General Secretary Zhao Ziyang visited the square and told the hunger-striking students through tears, "We came too late… You are still young; you have a long road ahead." It was his last public appearance. He was placed under house arrest for 16 years until his death in 2005.
The Night of June 3–4
On the evening of June 3, the 27th and 38th Group Armies forced their way into Beijing from multiple directions. At Muxidi, Fuxingmen, Xidan, and along Chang'an Avenue, soldiers opened fire on unarmed citizens, while tanks crushed tents and bicycles. Declassified UK archives estimate at least 10,000 deaths that night; the Chinese Red Cross initially reported over 2,600 before being forced to retract. The exact number has never been disclosed.
"Tank Man" and Global Memory
On the morning of June 5, a man in a white shirt holding shopping bags stood alone on Chang'an Avenue, blocking a column of tanks leaving the square. Photographers Jeff Widener, Stuart Franklin and others captured the image from the Beijing Hotel. "Tank Man" became one of the 20th century's most powerful images of resistance. His identity and fate remain unknown.
The Forbidden Silence
"June Fourth" is the most censored term inside China. Around every anniversary, even expressions like "8964" or "May 35" are scrubbed. Hong Kong's Victoria Park, once the world's largest commemoration, vanished after the 2020 National Security Law.
Conclusion: A Crime Never Tried
Three decades on, not a single official who ordered the killings has been held accountable; not a single victim has been officially recognized. The Tiananmen Mothers group, founded by Ding Zilin, has spent over thirty years compiling the names of the dead—more than 200 confirmed by name to date. History does not forgive un-tried atrocities. To remember June Fourth is the minimum duty of all who refuse to be slaughtered again.