1989 Tiananmen Square protests trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square. The number of civilian deaths has been estimated variously from 180 to 10,454. Set against a backdrop of rapid economic development and social changes in post-Mao Zedong China, the protests reflected anxieties about the country's future in the popular consciousness and among the political elite. The reforms of the 1980s had led to a nascent market economy which benefitted some people, but seriously disaffected others and the one-party political system also faced a challenge of legitimacy. Common grievances at the time included inflation, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy
Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident Eight million students joined the ""Anti-Cult Action by the Youth Civilized Communities Across the Nation"". Twelve million children were made to submit writings disapproving of the practice. Within a month of the Tiananmen Square incident, authorities issued a document entitled "The whole story of the self-immolation incident created by Falun Gong addicts in Tiananmen Square", containing colour photographs of charred bodies. The State Council's "Office for the Prevention and Handling of Evil Cults" declared after the event that it was now ready to form a united front with the global anti-cult struggle. Meetings took place in factories, offices, universities and