Tiananmen Square

This guide to Tiananmen Square in Beijing centers on June 5, 1989, the morning after a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, when photographer Jeff Widener stood on a hotel balcony above the square with his camera. Below him, a line of tanks began moving down the avenue, and an ordinary man in a white shirt, carrying shopping bags, stepped out into their path. You'll also hear about the square's own long history, built in 1651 and expanded fourfold in the 1950s. Look north toward the gate bearing Mao's portrait as you listen.