Beijing 2008, Tiananmen Square via sHzaam!'s flickr stream CC

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.  And as June nears, some truly powerful stories are popping all over the internet that recollect the events.

A story called Tiananmen 20 years later: A survivor’s story (via the AP) looks at the protests through the eyes of Qi Zhiyong:

“I saw people being run over. Blood sprayed everywhere,” says Qi, then a 33-year-old construction worker. “The tanks kept moving, as if the people weren’t there. My hair stood on end. I was chilled to the bone.” Witnessing the crackdown and losing his leg transformed Qi from a loyal Communist Party supporter into an activist with a simple goal: speaking out about the events which the leadership has all but erased from history.

And over at Times Online UK there is a story from their 1989 archives that Jon Swain, an international reporter at the time, wrote.   It is an incredible first hand account of a traumatic and powerful time.

The line in his piece that sticks with me is the following:

One had only to stroll through a residential area of Beijing yesterday to gauge the revulsion for the regime. A statue to youth and vitality was garlanded with wreaths in memory of residents who had been cut down by the army.

I am sure as June nears we will gain access to more first hand accounts of the time. For now though, takepart to read Qi’s piece and then takepart to read Jon’s - you’ll be glad you did.