In the spring of 1989, democracy bloomed briefly in China, spurred on by the jubilant protests of Beijing university students, encouraged by a million onlookers. Then, on 4 June 1989, the Chinese military crushed the pro-democracy movement by a bloody massacre in Tiananmen Square. Among the foreign reporters on the scene were Scott Simmie and Bob Nixon. In this book they portray not only the events which took place but also the sights and sounds and emotions of the crowd. Well placed and well connected to learn the stories behind the day-to-day occurrences, and the real situation underlying official pronouncements, Simmie and Nixon present a thorough, well-researched analysis which sets the protests of 1989 into an historical and political context. - Back cover.