24 photos from the Tiananmen Square protests that China has tried to erase from history

June 4 marks the 26th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-Democracy protests that ended in bloodshed, and China has done its best to scrub the event from collective memory.

Ahead of Wednesday's anniversary, China has gone to great lengths to censor discussion about the tragedy in 1989, when Chinese troops killed unarmed civilians in the center of Beijing. (The exact death toll is in dispute, but some estimate that more than 1,000 pro-democracy protesters were killed.)

In an apparent effort to keep people from recalling the violence, China has taken the drastic measure of blocking access to Google in the country. The country has also taken measures to quell protestors themselves. For example, Chinese authorities arrested a well-known artist named Guo Jian after he created a diorama of Tiananmen Square covered in ground meat.

While Jian's diorama may have been disturbing, photographs from the actual protest are utterly heartbreaking. We've gathered some of more iconic images in recognition of the 25th anniversary.

Adam Taylor and Erin Fuchs contributed to this report.