Tiananmen Square entry, visitors and their belongings are searched, a common practice at many Chinese tourist sites, although the square is somewhat unusual in that domestic visitors often have their identification documents checked and the purpose of their visit questioned. Both plain-clothes and uniformed police officers patrol the area. There are numerous fire extinguishers placed in the area to put out flames should a protester attempt self-immolation. Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square (天安門, Pinyin: "Tiān'ānmén"; Wade–Giles: "Tʻien-an-mên") is a city square in the centre of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("Gate of Heavenly Peace") located to its north, separating
Defend Tiananmen Square Headquarters Headquarters. Defend Tiananmen Square Headquarters established a variety of measures to protect students protesting in Tiananmen Square. Their first was the installation of a broadcasting system for establishing authority and issuing instructions to protestors. The system was used for a final time on June 3 to report the first acts of violence occurring on the square’s surrounding streets, and to prompt the Hunger Strikers to remain passive. The system’s use quickly expanded beyond its original purpose. In his memoir, Li Lu notes that early on June 3 the system was used to pacify agitated students by playing Beethoven, with the