Tiananmen Square massacre 31st anniversary: Remembering the bloody military crackdown that killed thousands

For many Chinese, the 30th anniversary of the crackdown passed like any other weekday. Any commemoration of the event is not allowed in mainland China, and the government has long blocked access to information about it on the internet. IN PIC: Security officials stand guard in front of Tiananmen Gate. (Photo | AP)

The seven-week-long Tiananmen Square protests and their bloody end — hundreds if not thousands of people are believed to have died — snuffed out a tentative shift toward political liberalisation.In this June 5, 1989, photo, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Changan Blvd. IN PIC: The iconic image later came to be known as the 'tank man.' (Photo | AP)

Thirty years later, social restrictions such as family size and where people can live have been loosened, but political freedom remains for the most part strictly controlled with little prospect for change. (Photo | AP)

In this June 7, 1989, file photo, Chinese troops keep a sharp eye out as their truck makes a momentary stop on Changan Blvd in Beijing, China.

China has largely succeeded in wiping the bloody crackdown from the public consciousness at home, even as it rebuffs Western attempts to hold the ruling Communist Party accountable. IN PIC: University students clean the 'Pillar of Shame' statue, a memorial for those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, at the University of Hong Kong. (Photo | AP)

Extra checkpoints and street closures greeted tourists who showed up before 5 am to watch the daily flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, the main gathering point for the 1989 protests. People overseas found themselves blocked from posting anything to a popular Chinese social media site. IN PIC: A statue of the Goddess of Democracy is set up at Hong Kong's Victoria Park. (Photo | AP)

In this June 6, 1989, photo, Chinese soldiers march away after they fought its way into Tiananmen Square the night of June 3-4 to reclaim the square from student-led demonstrators. (Photo | AP)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 1989, a student wears a headband which reads 'Support Beijing students' as she rests next to a companion during demonstrations in Hong Kong in support of Beijing's pro-democracy students movement. (Photo | AP)

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. (Photo | AP)