Almost 200,000 people paid an emotional tribute to the Tiananmen Square protests in Hong Kong on Tuesday, 30 years after the democracy movement was violently brought to an end on 4 June.

The vigil was attended by a record 180,000 Hongkongers and visitors of all ages, according to organisers, who held candles across Victoria Park in honour of the unknown number of protesters who were arrested, kille, or went missing following the 1989 crackdown.

Many attendees had families and children in tow, although others stood or sat alone listening to music and speeches or watching video montages of the protest movement and its victims.

The majority appeared to be old enough to remember 1989, either as children or young people.

Henry Leung tearfully recalled watching the protests on television as a 16 year-old student, inspiring him to participate in local protests in support of Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989 and afterwards.

Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997 AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary A wreath of flowers is carried during a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park Getty Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Kin Cheung AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary 'Goddess of Democracy' statue during a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park Getty Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary epa07624862 Participants attend the annual candlelit vigil commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, China, 04 June 2019. Thousand of people gathered to demand the vindication of the June 04 pro-democracy student movement in Beijing and the end of one-party rule in China. Hong Kong, along with Macau, is the only place on Chinese soil where such a vigil is allowed. EPA/JEROME FAVRE JEROME FAVRE EPA Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary As many as 180,000 people were expected to attend in Hong Kong on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre EPA Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary epa07624874 A participant holds a photo of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam with the words 'step down' on it during the annual candlelit vigil commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, China, 04 June 2019. Thousand of people gathered to demand the vindication of the June 04 pro-democracy student movement in Beijing and the end of one-party rule in China. Hong Kong, along with Macau, is the only place on Chinese soil where such a vigil is allowed. EPA/JEROME FAVRE JEROME FAVRE EPA Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Commemorations took place in cities around the world on June 4 to remember those who died AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thirty years ago, the People's Liberation Army opened fire and killed protesters in Beijing after hundreds of thousands of students and workers gathered in Tiananmen Square for weeks to call for greater political freedom EPA Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Edwin Kwok) Edwin Kwok AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary No-one knows for sure how many people were killed as China continues to censor any coverage or discussion of the event that takes place during the anniversary AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Pro-democracy activists raise up candles Reuters Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Kin Cheung AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Kin Cheung AP Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary People take part in a candlelight vigil to mark the 30th anniversary of the crackdown of pro-democracy movement at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, China June 4, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu TYRONE SIU Reuters Tiananmen Square vigil to mark the 30th anniversary Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Kin Cheung AP

“They [were] the hope of China,” he said, adding that he was deeply moved by the crackdown. “This [protest] is very special experience to me because of what happened in Beijing.”

Hong Kong and neighbouring Macau are the only places in Chinese territory where the protest movement can be publicly commemorated. The city is now home to a “4 June museum” and various memorials including a statue at the University of Hong Kong.

‘We can see China has hidden hands inside Hong Kong’ Vigil attendee Priscilla Lau

In China, information about Tiananmen Square is heavily censored, so many Hongkongers feel an obligation to commemorate the event on its behalf.

Raymond Poon brought this three children to the candlelight vigil, as he felt it was important for them to learn about the protest’s history.

“I think that this is an important event – this is something that they need to remember and this is something that they also need to learn,” he said.

“At their age, I don’t need to tell them too much, I don’t want to complicate the facts but just let them know that something happened at Tiananmen 30 years ago: the students were fighting for freedom and they were suppressed by the government at the time.”

Hong Kong played a small but critical role during the Tiananmen Square protests, as hundreds of activists escaped through the former British colony with the help of western intelligence agencies.

Students from Hong Kong also attended the protests in Beijing, while locally others organised a rally of 1.5 million people in support of the protesters in late May 1989.

While ultimately unsuccessful in bringing out democratic change in China, the legacy of Tiananmen Square has had an enormous impact on the future both China and Hong Kong, according to Steve Tsang, director of the Soas China Institute in London, as it determined how the government would tolerate dissent.

Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Show all 12 1 /12 Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Man blocks tank A tank driving down a road nearby Tiananmen Square is blocked by an unidentified man on 5 June. The picture is seen around the globe as a protest against the previous days events, when tensions that had been building for months came to a head... Bettmann Archive via Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Hu Yaobang dies - 15 April Former general secretary of the Communist Party Hu Yaobang dies aged 73 of a heart attack. He was a leading reformer of the Chinese system who the public saw to be unfairly removed from government. Citizens flock to Tiananmen Square to mourn him. Mourning soon turns to anger as they dwell on the state of China. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests spread - 17 April In the days after Hu's death, university students around China are organising. On 17 April, thousands of students march on Tiananmen Square to demand democracy and greater freedoms. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events "We must a clear stand against disturbances" - 26 April So begins the editorial on the front page of the People's Daily, the Chinese state newspaper, on 26 April. The editorial goes on to attack the protesters as anti-party and anti-government. Protesters read a clear message that the government is against them and call for the editorial to be retracted. Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests spread further - 4 May Thousands more students in five cities across China join the protests. Head of the Communist Party Zhao Ziyang tells a meeting of bankers that the protests are sure to subside. Pictured are journalists from the China Daily newspaper showing support in Tiananmen Square. Protesters were calling for freedom of the press, among other rights common to democracies Reuters Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Hunger strikes begin - 13 May Hundreds of students begin hunger strikes, upping the stakes of the protests. Pictured: Paramedics remove a student protester who has been on hunger strike on 17 May 1989 AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Zhao visits Tiananmen Square - 19 May Now doubting that the strikes will subside without intervention from the government, party head Zhao Ziyang visits Tiananmen Square and urges students to end the hunger strike. Chinese premier Li Peng briefly joins Zhao but leaves soon after arriving. Zhao was removed from office later in the day. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Martial law declared - 20 May Chinese premier Li Peng declares martial law. Soldiers move in on Tiananmen Square but many are held up by protesters. Soldiers are ordered not to fire on civilians. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Protests continue - 22 May to 1 June On 22 May, a military helicopter drops leaflets above Tiananmen Square that instruct protesters to leave immediately. Despite this, protests continue while the army withdraws. Reuters Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Soldiers move in to clear the square - 3 June On the evening of 3 June, soldiers advance with force. Protesters are warned that the troops have the right to use any methods necessary to clear the square. AFP/Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Soldiers open fire - 4 June In the early hours of the morning, some troops begin to shoot dead protesters who defy their efforts to clear the square. Pictured: A man is covered in blood after the People's Liberation Army open fire on protesters in Tiananmen Square Getty Tiananmen Square massacre: Timeline of events Man blocks tank - 5 June A tank driving down a road nearby Tiananmen Square is blocked by an unidentified man. The picture is seen around the globe as a protest against the previous days events. Bettmann Archive via Getty

“Tiananmen Square 1989 was a historic event not only for people in China and Hong Kong – it is a globally important event. It is one of those things that could have potentially changed China and it didn’t,” he said.

“If anything it resulted in the Communist Party ruling out all the other options and focusing on consolidating the Leninist political system in place in China, which is where we are now. The direction of [change] in China has a direct significance in how Hong Kong’s development goes.”

‘I think that this is an important event – this is something that they need to remember and this is something that they also need to learn’ Vigil attendee Raymond Poon

Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 as an autonomous territory, is now grappling with rule by an increasingly involved Beijing. Many residents see its long arm in the disqualification of pro-democracy political candidates and the prosecution of leaders of its own 2014 Umbrella Movement democracy protests.

More recently, the city has become embroiled in debate about a new law that would allow extradition to China.

“I think we will not have this freedom anymore in 10 or 20 years,” vigil attendee Priscilla Lau said of Hong Kong’s commemoration of Tiananmen Square.