On June 3rd, 1989 the Chinese government used the might of their army to violently crush a student led, but popularly backed, uprising. Centered in Tiananmen, the call for reform had spread throughout the country.
Since that time the government of China has mixed economic reform with hardline political oppression...a combination that has seemed to make the west forget the violence they brought upon their own citizens.
Is capitalism, even under political oppression, really the path to eventual freedom in China? I don't have the answers but I urge you to take some time and watch "The Tank Man", a Frontline program available online and remeber those, if only for a short time, had their goddess of democracy and hope that they, through non-violent means, could help their country to achieve a more open and free society.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/