(Jeff Widener/AP)ДЄ young woman is caught between civilians and Chinese soldiers, who were trying to remove her from an assembly near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on June 3, 1989. People on ChangвЂ™an Avenue in Beijing on June 5, 1989, hold up a photo that they described as dead victims of the violence against pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. As we ran for cover, I lost a camera lens. Just after midnight, an armored personnel carrier with a frontal machine gun cornered the avenue so fast that yellow sparks flew off the tread. In shock, I forced a fake smile and quickly moved on. Streams of blood trickled down the blade, forming droplets on the ground. He proudly opened his heavy, dark coat and showcased a large silver hatchet that glimmered under the street lamps. From the shadows near the Great Hall of the People emerged an elderly Chinese man with a long white beard and an enthusiastic grin that flaunted two remaining front teeth. I was traveling light, with my camera gear concealed in my clothing to avoid raising suspicion. Small groups of men and women moved silently in the night, carrying large sections of steel road dividers to block the advance of any military threat. Though things were initially tranquil on the streets of Beijing, the stillness was short-lived. Soon after, AP reporter Dan Biers and I pedaled our bicycles onto ChangвЂ™an Avenue. The plan was to monitor the ongoing protests at Tiananmen Square in case anything unusual happened. The photographer As China sought to bury news about the protests, Jeff WidenerвЂ™s images, including вЂTank Man,вЂ™ conveyed the bloody reality. The day is thought to be one of the bloodiest political crackdowns in modern history. Though there is no official death toll, estimates range from several hundred to more than 10,000. On the morning of June 4, the government sent armed troops to dissolve the demonstration in Tiananmen Square, killing and arresting activists. Communist Party leaders, however, saw the protests as a threat to their hold on power and the political system. The protests eventually spread to 400 cities across China.

They called for respect for human rights and greater political participation amid the ambitious economic reforms spearhead by then-leader Deng Xiaoping. For weeks, the protesters, led by students, stood in unprecedented defiance of the Communist regime. In the spring of 1989, Chinese pro-democracy activists filled Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript.

Amnesia lost the lights