thehistorybits

[thehistorybits]

A month and a half after the beginning of the protests, on 30 May 1989 some young demonstrators erected a polystyrene and papier-mâché statue representing the "Goddess of Democracy" in the centre of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The "fragile monument", which has a height of 10 meters, is placed in front of the image of Mao Zedong, symbol of the "old" Chinese Communist Party, target of the struggle of students, workers, officials and intellectuals. The statue was created in four days by the students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, among the protagonists of what has been called the "Chinese Democratic Spring" movement. The protesters are calling for a profound reform of the political system of the Asian country, after the death of Secretary General Hu Yaobang on April 15. The protests are then repressed in blood: after Deng Xiaoping imposes martial law, on the night between 3 and 4 June the People's Liberation Army enters the square with tanks, opening fire on civilians