User:WRGerman/sandbox

Tank Man of Tiananmen Square (novel) is the fictional life story of Wang Weilin, the mysterious young man who stonewalled a battalion of tanks on 05 June 1989 in Beijing. The novel, written by American author W. R. German, examins why this particular historical figure is so famous, yet even today his name is known to only a few. The story follows Wang through the formative days of the Democracy Movement, as it progresses from an informal series of "Lawn Salons" at Beijing universities, to a full-blown wave of protests in Tiananmen Square, at the very heart of the city. The book also details the paradox that ignited the movement: the sudden death of a high-profile senior government official who had once been Chairman Mao's closest ally. The story also describes the deep divisions within the Chinese government on how to deal with the protesters, and how the unintended timing of the protests was crucial in amplifying the Chinese regime's dilemma on how to react.