PEK11:MAY29--Student activists work on what they call the "Goddess of Democracy" at an art school campus. The protesters plan to erect the statue in Tiananmen Square throughout the night.

More images reflecting on the hopes and dreams from exactly 20 years ago in Beijing.

At this stage things appeared to be at a stalemate. The government wasn't making any overt moves and the students were on the square...waiting.   The protesters opted to make a bold PR move to shore up both foreign support as well as to attract larger, protective crowds around their base in  Tiananmen.  

Art students reworked a statue originally designed as  a heroic worker to carry a Statue of Liberty style torch instead of a farm implement and assembled it facing the giant portrait of Mao.  The Goddess of Democracy was born. 

It was literally a "face" to the government. One  lady marveled at the Goddess and said,"They have to do something now. They can't let this stand!"

It was a taunt to the government and everybody knew "something" would happen. 

 PEK03:MAY30- Student Protesters erect the "Goddess of Democracy" on Tiananmen Square May 30. the statue is modeled after the USA's Statue of Liberty. In the background is the Monument to People's Heroes, the headquarters of the students protests since May 13.  

The Goddess pumped new life into the encampment. Its optimism was in stark contrast to the foreboding mood of previous days. Tents went up and more people arrived to join what was clearly a final stand. When a nasty storm cell ripped down the tent city,  it felt like the whole scene was playing out like a real life tragic poem with even the weather cooperating in the metaphor.  

PEK14:MAY 31 - A protester secures rigging for a new tent. Many new tents are sprouting on the square as it appears the protesters will continue their occupation. 

PEK16: MAY 31 -- Students and workers scramble to secure their tent city after their tent city in Tiananmen Square on wednesday after a sudden and violent rain storm belted the area. The students have occupied the square for 19 days.  

This is a part of a series I began in early May  to post images from China exactly 20 years ago (almost to the day) leading up to June 4. My reasons are detailed in the original post :