You have to remember that the protestors started in April and the massacre happened on 3 June. The protests had many different flavors - beyond just the students - there were bike protests, etc. It was when some of the farming community started to participate that the commmies got serious.
The first troop movements were 20 May with civilians blocking the movements between then and about 1 June. This is the timeframe for Tank Man and when the bus was disabled. These were the Beijing centered troops.
After the initial troops were shown to be hesitant to move forward the commmies called up troops from the far west and southwest (think Himilayas/Tibet). It took them until around 1 June to get there. Once they were in position the go ahead was given, nightfall came, and the tanks went in.
After the massacre the square and the main avenues that go by it were completely locked down and he wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near that thoroughfare.
I walked that road and Tiananmen years later when I had to go for work for about 6 months. It was hard for me to stay there long knowing what I did - for me it was hallowed ground. The only other places I’ve had that feeling were the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, Tomb of the Unknown, the Nagasaki memorial, and in Jerusalem.
I said my prayer for those lost and moved on quickly.
I sure as hell didn’t visit Mao’s Masoleum which is to one side of the square, I can assure you of that.
I had another experience at the Holocaust Museum in DC. I spent hours in there, reading everything and looking at all the artifacts…it was a heavy day, so I didn’t think much about it when I walked up the ramp to stand inside one of the cattle cars, which was real and not reproduction. I was alone in the car when a sudden rush of dizziness and nausea that came over me. I had to bolt out of there because I thought I was going to be sick. That was the end of my museum walking that day.
I have always wanted to visit Gettysburg and another I would like to visit is Culloden.