At 10:00am on April 22, the memorial service for Hu Yaobang began in the Great Hall of the People. It was presided over by President Yang Shangkun; Zhao Ziyang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, delivered a eulogy. Deng Xiaoping was also in attendance.

In his eulogy, Zhao Ziyang affirmed Hu Yaobang's many contributions to the cause of socialism, and his achievements in opening up discussions on standards of truth and overturning wrongful convictions during the Boluan Fanzheng ("dispel chaos and return to normal") period. Zhao praised Hu as "a time-tested and loyal communist fighter; a great proletarian revolutionary and politician; an outstanding political worker in our military; and an outstanding leader who long held important leadership positions within the Party." However, the eulogy did not touch on the matter of Hu Yaobang's resignation from power.

After an announcement on Tian'anmen Square announced the start of the memorial service, tens of thousands of students spontaneously stood up and sang the national anthem in unison. Many students shed tears. The students on either the north and south sides of West Chang'an Avenue, who were not able to enter the Square, wore black armbands and white flowers; they held banners reading "Yaobang, Peking University Comrades Miss You" and "China University of Political Science and Law Mourns". The atmosphere was dignified and solemn.

Reference: Zhang Wanshu, "The Big Bang of History: A Complete Record of the June 4th Incident"