On history's calendar, last week had been circled in advance. It was set aside, blocked out ahead of time for a grand show involving two men who wished to immortalize themselves through a feat of statesmanship.
History, however, takes no reservations. The efforts of Deng Xiaoping and Mikhail Gorbachev to capture the world's attention were swept before them by one of those rare and indescribable upwellings of national spirit. Events within the Great Hall of the People, where the leaders set about mending a 30- year rift, received some note. But it was the events in Tiananmen Square, where a hunger strike by 3,000 students swelled to a demonstration by more than a million Chinese expressing the inexpressible -- a longing for freedom and prosperity -- that transfixed the eye. On Saturday, as government troops were trucked into Beijing to end the protests, China was plunged into a turmoil unrivaled since the Cultural Revolution more than two decades ago.
The confrontation between the people of the People's Republic of China and the government created a surreal deadlock -- chaotic yet tranquil, jubilant but darkly ominous. Using lampposts and bicycle racks, bands set up barricades on the avenues leading into the heart of the city. Word spread of a military plot to deploy forces via the Beijing subway system, but the plan went awry when transit workers decided to back the striking students and shut down the power supply. "The people will win!" many exclaimed. Still, the presentiment of danger always lurked, and several dozen people reportedly were injured in clashes with police and troops. On one side of Beijing, flatbed trucks were seen filled with soldiers armed with AK-47 assault rifles. As military helicopters, a rare sight in the city, swooped overhead, people below looked up and shook their fists. Any attempt to disperse the crowds and end the demonstrations would seem to require massive firepower. The protesters waited, one minute hoping that Deng would come to his senses and call off the troops, the next minute dreading that the command might be issued to clear the streets no matter how much blood would be spilled.
Split by factional strife and confronted by a clamorous, hostile public, the Communist Party leadership faced its most serious challenge in the state's 40- year existence. Every hour seemed to bring a fresh rumor, especially after the government ordered the restriction of China Central Television and the end of foreign television transmissions. Deng remained very much in charge, stripping power from Zhao Ziyang, the Communist Party leader who only days earlier had been host of a banquet for Gorbachev. Premier Li Peng assumed control of the party as well as the government, but the bond between the Chinese people and their leaders snapped so violently last week that Li may end up representing a constituency of three hard-liners: himself, Deng and President Yang Shangkun.