An eight-part documentary series originally commissioned by China Central Television (CCTV) and filmed in the late 1980s but shelved after the June 4th Tiananmen crackdown. Co-directors Shi Jian and Chen Jue completed the film independently in 1991—but their efforts to screen it were blocked. TIANANMEN offers insight into the lives of Imperial-era survivors; assesses the pressures of economic reform; delves into post-Cultural Revolution liberalization; and glimpses the avant-garde, counter-cultural, and rock music scenes in the capital city. Over a sprawling and eclectic seven hours, the film captures contradictions and anxieties about life in China; above all, it reflects a guarded but strong-willed sense of optimism about a China suspended between past traumas and an uncertain future.