Article content continued

He was at the forefront of Chinese politics for decades, but his name is inextricably linked to the military assault on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square on June 3 and 4, 1989.

Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images

As premier, Li was the face of a group of hard-liners who saw the student-led movement against one-party rule as a threat to their authority and national stability. It was Li who declared martial law, paving the way for troops to enter the city in late May 1989. He also played a key role in the decision to send troops to clear the square, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, as they went.

The late 1980s found China’s leaders split on where to take the country, with reformers like Secretary General Hu Yaobang and the man who succeeded him, Zhao Ziyang, pushing economic and political liberalization and others, including Li, pushing for a more centralized, state-led approach.

In 1986, students in cities across China demonstrated to demand political reform. Hu was blamed for the unrest and ousted as general secretary.

When Hu died, in April 1989, thousands took to the streets in a display of grief that morphed into mass protest. They were demanding checks on government corruption, political reform and talks with top officials.

The protesters set up outside the Great Hall of the People, on the western edge of Tiananmen Square, and eventually started a hunger strike.

Photo by Catherine Henriette / AFP/Getty Images

On May 18, as the standoff deepened, Li met with student leaders for a nationally televised dialogue. In footage that shocked the nation, Li, looking imperious in his tunic-like Mao suit, was scolded and interrupted by students, including a hunger striker still in his hospital gown.