From the Vantage of the Beijing Hotel

Abstract

Much of this article is based on my on-the-spot observations in the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 11 April th ough 10 June. Except for part of May, I was in Beijing and saw the prolonged student protest at close range. From the rooftop of the Beijing Hotel, I witnessed to the extent possible at least part of the tragic events that befell Beijing the night of 3 June through the early morning of 4 June. Of course, there are always limitations to what any one individual can observe. Because of the Beijing Hotel's location on East Changan Street, I was able to see what was happening to the east of Tiananmen Square. I was not able to see events taking place in the square itself. After midnight, I saw troops trotting (that is, on foot) toward Tiananmen Square from the east end. They came without helmets and weapons. As they were approaching the square, they were blocked by huge crowds and were forced to retreat, returning to the direction (east) from which they had come. As they retreated, the troops were chased by many who threw rocks and bricks. Not long afterward, the troops returned by truck, this time with helmets on and weapons in hand. By then, the crowds had set up more roadblocks. As the trucks were negotiating their way through, the crowds stopped them with a barrage of rocks. This free-for-all went on for some time, during which many soldiers were either killed or wounded; some lost their weapons to the ruffians. Then came the armored reinforcements spitting sporadic