30 years later: Learn the stories and struggle behind Tiananmen Square

Uncover the true story of the seven-week period that changed China forever in “Tiananmen: The People vs. The Party,” coming to Arizona PBS on Tuesday, June 25, at 8 p.m.

On June 4, 1989, a violent and bloody pro-democracy demonstration ended, leaving thousands dead, and laying the foundation for China’s future.

WATCH: “Tiananmen: The People vs. The Party” 

Unfolding with the drama of a political thriller, the film investigates how a peaceful student protest calling for liberty ended seven weeks later in carnage, documenting the many turning points when the violence could have been avoided but tragically was not. With never-before-seen Chinese television archival footage and exclusive interviews with key insiders — from protest leaders and students to politburo members — reveals the scale of the 1989 protest, its aims, the military crackdown and the aftermath.

The in-depth research includes an exclusive, secretly filmed interview with a high ranking Communist Party insider who was an eyewitness to the inner debate within the halls of power that led to the massacre; extensive access to the documents known as The Tiananmen Papers, Chinese government and Party records revealing the decisions made by increasingly-panicked leaders; and gripping and emotional testimony from a diverse range of protesters, eyewitnesses and key contributors, several of whom were in the thick of the drama on the square throughout June 3 and 4 as the massacre unfolded.