PEK16:May18 - With a banner strapped on its grill saying "Long Live the Students" a truck speeds through Peking carrying pro-democracy protesters. (en/Ed Nachtrieb)
The difference between these pictures and all those which came before is the people waving their arms and banners. It's not just students anymore but people from literally every walk of life and job. It felt as if some kind of invisible "tipping point" had been reached and the entire population mobilized. There were banners and demonstrations throughout the city -- the picture of the workers on the truck was taken far from the city center. On this same day, simultaneous protest occurred throughout the country.
These picture are important now, 20 year later, because they show that the protests were not just the work of a few but in fact, were broadly popular.
PEK11: MAY 18 - Protesters drive past the Gate of Heavenly Peace during the largest demonstration in China since 1949.(en/Ed Nachtrieb)
This is a part of a series I began last week to post images of China from exactly 20 years ago (almost to the day) leading up to June 4.
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