Did the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown happen in 1989?

Yes, the Tiananmen Square protests and the subsequent military crackdown took place in 1989.

The student-led demonstrations began in mid-April 1989, sparked by the death of Hu Yaobang, a former Communist Party leader who had been supportive of democratic reforms. The protests grew rapidly, calling for free speech, government accountability, press freedom, and democratic reform.

The movement culminated when the Chinese government declared martial law and sent the military to clear the square. On the night of June 3 and into the morning of June 4, 1989, troops and tanks cleared the area, resulting in the deaths of hundreds to thousands of protesters and bystanders.