Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- Amid a glowing sea of candles and rallying calls for justice , a record crowd packed six football pitches at an annual vigil held in Hong Kong to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown . Organizers announced the highest ever turnout of 180,000 people , while police said the figure was closer to 85,000 . By even the most conservative estimates , there were 15,000 more attendees than last year . While the vigil typically features singing , speeches , video messages and tributes , the clear highlight of this year 's event was a special appearance by Fang Zheng , a former student protester who had both his legs amputated after he was run over by an army tank during the crackdown . Wheeled onto the center of the stage , Zheng , now 46 , effusively thanked the crowd for `` twenty-three years of support . '' Over June 3 to 4 , 1989 , Chinese troops used lethal force to quash a seven-week-long occupation of Beijing 's Tiananmen Square by pro-democracy protesters , who were largely comprised of students . Estimates of the numbers killed range from hundreds to thousands of protesters and soldiers . In an outpouring of compassion , a continued sense of injustice , and fears for the future , the vigil attracted a broad spectrum of mourners , ranging from people born after the crackdown to elderly residents who have dutifully come every year . The annual vigil in Hong Kong is the only public commemoration of its kind and scale allowed within China 's borders . Volunteer Nicole Lai , 7 , handed out bookmarks to passersby at the League of Social Democrats booth alongside her mother . `` Many people died so I 'm here to pay my respects , '' she said . Further down Great George Street , a 27-year-old man surnamed Chow held up subversive T-shirts for sale . Although he was only four years old at the time of the crackdown , Chow said he chose to volunteer his services with his friends Monday to `` show his opposition toward the Chinese Communist Party and its disregard for the law . '' Michael Pang , 17 , has attended the vigil for the past three years out of a sense of civic responsibility . `` Even though I was n't alive during June 4 , we need to take the initiative to stand up for our rights and tell our citizens that we have the responsibility to say no to the Chinese Communist Party . '' The Hong Kong Federation of Students who took to the stage echoed his sentiment , declaring , `` Our pain and suffering is the same as that of our parents . '' Sitting on bleachers with group of elderly men holding lighted candles in paper cones , 73-year-old Fu Kam-tin said he has been coming to the vigils nearly every year since 1989 . Fu , who emigrated from the mainland at age 12 , called the Tiananmen massacre `` the most apparent example in China 's history of the strong bullying the weak . '' He says he continues to be `` very angry and unsettled by these corrupt officials who are harming our country and harming the world . '' Ms. Chan Shu-ying said she still has a deep impression of attending a protest in 1989 against the crackdown alongside thousands of Hong Kongers in Happy Valley . Now 53 , Chan said , `` Coming here every year will fulfill my dream of June 4 being redressed and the democratization of China 's political system . '' The bumper crowd gathered in Victoria Park amid a politically turbulent year in both Hong Kong and mainland China . Hong Kong 's new Chief Executive , Leung Chun-ying , is due to take office on the first of July after being chosen to lead the special administrative region of China . The lack of universal suffrage and uneasiness over the mainland government 's influence over local affairs have long been contentious issues in Hong Kong . Leung is perceived by some to take a hard-line approach toward public freedoms . He has been criticized in recent days for refusing to comment on the vigil and the massacre . China has also encountered multiple political scandals in the run-up to the once-in-a-decade Communist party leadership change this fall , most notably the murky corruption-cum-murder case involving disgraced Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai , and the fleeing of blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng to the U.S. `` All problems need to be solved ; evasion is not a way out , '' Chen said , in an open letter urging the Chinese government to institute democratic reforms and address the Tiananmen incident . His letter was posted to the website of the vigil 's organizer , the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China . During Monday 's vigil , Alliance chairman Andrew Lee Cheuk-yan took to the stage to lead the crowd in chants of `` Never forget June 4 ! `` , `` Redress June 4 ! `` , `` Persevere to the end ! '' Lee said that more than 10,000 visitors had already passed through the temporary Tiananmen Square memorial museum in Sham Shui Po , which opened in late April . He said he hoped last night 's cash donations and T-shirt sales would help the alliance establish a permanent museum to commemorate June 4 in Hong Kong .
180,000 people attend a China vigil to commemorate 23 years Tiananmen Square crackdown . It 's been every year since troops opened fire on pro-democracy activists near Tiananmen Square . Highlight of vigil was the attendance of Fang Zheng , who had both legs amputated after he was run over by an army tank . The vigil attracted children as well as elderly residents who have dutifully come every year .