Hundreds of thousands of Chinese held vigils in Hong Kong, Taipei, Washington and elsewhere Tuesday as part of an annual commemoration of the bloody 1989 crackdown on China's democracy movement at Tiananmen Square . In mainland China, although unofficial commemorations did take place, the anniversary went largely unrecognized. Sensitive topics related to the incident remained censored, political dissidents were kept jailed or placed under enhanced surveillance, and political leaders maintained total silence on the matter. It has been 24 years since a dramatic socio-economic transition began in post-Tiananmen China. A fourth generation of leadership since the expulsion of Zhao Ziyang has assumed power, with more ambivalent feelings toward the protesters and dead students. Long-standing public demands for the rehabilitation of the Tiananmen protesters have fallen on deaf ears.