On April 17, 1989, some 3,000 students made their way to the heart of China’s capital to demonstrate in favour of a more democratic future. Within a few weeks, their numbers had swelled, with some 100,000 students and workers in Tiananmen Square.

Their timing was carefully chosen, ahead of the 70th anniversary of a date famous to all Chinese, the protests of May 4, 1919, when students had marched in front of the Forbidden City in favour of what they called “Mr Science” and “Mr Democracy”.

The 100th anniversary of the original “May Fourth” falls this year, but it is being marked only marginally in China. The 30th anniversary of “June Fourth”, the night of June 3-4, 1989, when soldiers used armed force against the