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China and Ukraine

Carrie Gracie in search of the spirit of Tiananmen, 25 years on; Tim Whewell struggles to separate fact from fiction in the culturally rich but tense city of Odessa.

Twenty-five years ago this week, Chinese troops put a violent end to pro-democracy protests organised by students in Beijing's iconic Tiananmen Square. The 麻豆社's China Editor, Carrie Gracie, goes in search of the Tiananmen spirit, and finds it - on a farm outside the capital.

Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere continues to hang over the historical city of Odessa amid continuing unrest across the east of Ukraine. In the city which inspired literary characters as rich and colourful as Benya Krik, Tim Whewell struggles to discern fact from fiction as he hears conflicting tales about the recent violence there.

(Photo: A dissident student asks soldiers to go back home as crowds flooded into the central Beijing 03 June 1989. Credit: Catherine Henriette/AFP/Getty Images)

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11 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Jun 2014 19:50GMT

Broadcast

  • Mon 2 Jun 2014 19:50GMT