Days of protest May Fourth Movement

protestors dissatisfied treaty of versailles china.



tsinghua university students burn japanese goods.



students of beijing normal university arrested government @ may fourth movement.

on afternoon of may 4 on 3,000 students of peking university , other schools marched many points gather in front of tiananmen. shouted such slogans struggle sovereignty externally, rid of national traitors @ home , away twenty-one demands , , don t sign versailles treaty . voiced anger @ allied betrayal of china, denounced government s spineless inability protect chinese interests, , called boycott of japanese products. demonstrators insisted on resignation of 3 chinese officials accused of being collaborators japanese. after burning residence of 1 of these officials , beating servants, student protesters arrested, jailed, , severely beaten.

the next day, students in beijing whole went on strike , in larger cities across china, students, patriotic merchants, , workers joined protests. demonstrators skillfully appealed newspapers , sent representatives carry word across country. june, workers , businessmen in shanghai went on strike center of movement shifted beijing shanghai. chancellors thirteen universities arranged release of student prisoners, , cai yuanpei, principal of peking university resigned in protest. newspapers, magazines, citizen societies, , chambers of commerce offered support students. merchants threatened withhold tax payments if china s government remained obstinate. in shanghai, general strike of merchants , workers devastated entire chinese economy. under intense public pressure, beijing government released arrested students , dismissed cao rulin, zhang zongxiang , lu zongyu. chinese representatives in paris refused sign peace treaty: may fourth movement won initial victory symbolic, since japan moment retained control of shandong peninsula , islands in pacific. partial success of movement exhibited ability of china s social classes across country collaborate given proper motivation , leadership.