AP PHOTOS: The Tiananmen Square crackdown anniversary in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

For most Chinese, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown that ended pro-democracy protests in China has passed like any other weekday. And that’s just how the ruling Communist Party wants it.

Security was tight Wednesday around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where weeks of student-led protests shook the party in 1989. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed after the military was sent in to end the protests. The Communist Party bans any public commemoration of the events. In recent years, that ban has been extended to Hong Kong, and it is only in Taiwan that June 4 gatherings can still take place.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.