In December of 1986, First Students' Movement erupted in major cities of China, demanding democracy as well as punishment of corrupt officials. Li Bei pointed out, at http://www.secretchina.com/news/articles/4/6/2/66074.html, that it was the result of Fang Lizhi rotating visitation to major universities that led to the 1986 student movement across the country in 1986. Fang Lizhi visited Shanghai campuses around Nov. Several newspapers, including 'World Economic Herald' reported on the speeches. (However, I had also heard from my highschool classmate that Fang Lizhi might have tried to stop students from going out of the campus of China Science & Technology University, which impressed me as something similar in behavior to Fang Lizhi's seeking asulym inside of US embassy in Peking after the 1989 massacre. Zeng Huiyan's 1988 book, "Records Of Student Movements In Mainland China" [Jan 1989 edition, Globe Publishing House, HK], pointed out that deputy schoolmaster Fang Lizhi pleaded with 2000 students for 'rationality' in front of the library of Chinese Science & Technology University [CSTU] on Dec 5th 1986.)
2500 students left the library for the street at about 1:15 pm on Dec 5th, with slogans such as "Long Live The Republic!", "Reform The Election System", "We Want Democracy, Not Cracy-demo". First Student Movement's trigger started with Dec 1st campus poster in regards to communist party branch secretary's secretive internal assignment of regional candidates for the western Hefei city district of the National People's Congress [NPC]. Days later, on Dec 4th, inside of CSTU auditorium where student leaders proposed their NPC regional candidacy, Fang Lizhi made a speech about democracy; however, the second day, Fang Lizhi cautioned against going to the streets. Wen Yuankai, at the auditorium, also made an encouraging speech, and mentioned NPC chief Wan li's comment as to "democratic administration of CSTU" [a comment made in Wan Li's Nov 30th visit to the campus]. Anhui University heard about the commotion inside of CSTU, and coordinated for the second day parade with students of CSTU. On Dec 5th, CSTU students converged with Anhui U & Hefei Industrial U in front the municipality building, causing a firestorm across the nation when students in Wuhan, Kunming, Nanking, Shanghai, Jinan, Tianjin, Haerbin, Hangzou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou & Beijing echoed their support.
On Dec 9th, in commemoration of 12-9-1935 student movement, CSTU launched another protest. Wuhan students in Wuchang of Hubei Province went on the street on the same day. Two days later, CSTU poster appeared on the campus of Beijing University.
In Shanghai, then mayor Jiang Zemin [i.e., later CCP secretary-general after 1989 masacre], was hush-hushed off the stage of auditorium of Shanghai Jiaotong University when he tried to rein in student protesters. Before leaving the stage, Jiang Zemin exhibited his ugly 'mouth & face" by threatening a student: "Dare you tell me your name and your department?" Note that Jiaotong University did not participate in the protest movement till one of their students was hit by gymnasium picketing staff on the night of Dec 9th: Gymnasium workers hated to see those Chinese, especially Chinese girls, jump onto the stage to dance with American "Jan & Dean" rock'n roll team. (Chinese populace were not used to the kind of racial "openness", whereas today it could be said to be an ironic and ludicrous fad.) After newspapers refused to report on the violence, Jiaotong U students wrote a public poster on campus on 15th [which was not related to the Dec 10th poster in regards to CSTU student movement]. After campus security staff tore apart the poster, students came up with a new batch of posters on 16th, this time, talking about political agenda in lieu of punishment of the gymnasium culprits. Students representatives held an unsuccessful dialogue with city police. After "Youth Newspaper" scrapped 40000 pieces of printouts with "reader's response" covering the gym matter, Jiaotong U, together with Tongji U, decided on a demonstration on the night of Dec 17th. On the morning of Dec 18th, Jiaotong U students were said to engaged in zigzag wars with campus security in posting the notices after being torn apart. Jiang Zemin suddenly made a decision to see the students for the "dialogue"; however, students refused to go to the 400 person hall inside of Bao-zaolong Library. Surprised that library was quiet but bragging that he feared nothing as a 'senior student leader of 1940s', Jiang Zemin was then steered to the auditorium. Dialogue ended up inside of the 4000 person auditorium where Jiang Zemin rushed to the stage, received a round of applause at the introduction of schoolmaster Weng Shilie, talked about three notable figures [like him] who graduated from Jiaotong, and hoped that a 4th person would derive from the ranks of 'listening [to communist party]' students. When Jiang rebuked liberty as something first proposed 200 years ago, students were offended. Jiang's order to stop hush-hush was ignored. 25 students and one teacher came up to the stage to raise questions. Jiang ultimately lost his face after entanglement for 4 hours. While Jiang Zemin rushed to Jiaotong, municipal party secretary Rui Xinwen went to CENU where he failed to see any student activity. 2000 students from Tongji started the parade after noon without advance knowledge of Jiaotong University dialogue with the mayor. After wrestling with 300 teachers for one hour, about 1000 students, with banners, broke out of the campus gate. Tongji U students, however, changed course towards Fudan U, scaring the gatekeepers into a closure. Students marched through the campus of Fudan, but failed to rally any support. Tongji students were steered back to the campus after i) college-sanctioned "student society" leader took control of the banner and ii) 500 students were persuaded off the parade by teachers.
After checking out the 'treachery' of Jiaotong U, college students of Shanghai coordinated for Dec 19th massive demonstration. On Dec 19th, Shanghai students mounted a massive protest, with impact seen near the municipality building on the Bund as well as the NPC building at People's Square. 2000 police were deployed against the sitting-in students in front of the municipality under Jiang Zemin's order. Yang Wei, a student who returned from US, was arrested. Both Tongji U and Fudan U held banners claiming to be supportive of i) Deng Xiaoping and ii) reform. China Eastern Normal University [CENU] also joined in after the initial student activity was repressed by campus party secretaries in mid-Oct. Some radicals climbed over the fence of NPC building on Dec 19th.
Police bureau of Shanghai Municipality put up "six rules as to public security" at the square as a detente on Dec 23rd. Rumors of police barbarity against a Tongji student in Shanghai spread to Hefei, leading to a 3rd wave of protests among CSTU students on Dec 23rd. CSTU students demanded a dialogue with the city, ending in a petition letter submitted to the city by CSTU leaders. Students dispersed at night when the city agreed to make a response to student demands within 3 days. Hefei Municipality backed down by delaying the voting to Dec 29th and allocating an extra four quotas for CSTU. CSTU students then organized 'NPC election campaign speech corps" for propaganda both on campus and on the streets. Both Fang Lizhi and Wen Yuankai, plus a student called Sha Ma, were elected. World media descended upon Fang Lizhi for reporting on NPC election and student protest. Voice of America poured gas onto the fire by alerting the communist conservatives of the democracy activities.
On Dec 29th 1986, People's Daily published an editorial, with a claim that "talking democracy does not mean departing from the path of four insistencies", and hinted "a handful of conspirators..." By late Dec, there were rumors in Peking stating that Hu Yaobang would be sacked. On New Year Day 1987, students again swamped onto Peking streets. Two weeks later, in Jan 1987, CCP General Secretary Hu Yao-bang was forced to resign by Deng and the Politiburo. Numerous memoirs pointed to Hu Yaobang walking out of politburo meeting with tears, still unconvinced that some of his politburo allies had lodged untrue accusations against him for the soft stance on students and intellectuals. (Per Wu Jiaxing's writing, Zhao Ziyang had nothing to do with Hu Yaobang's sacking, and later took in the followers of Hu Yaobang.)
