Li called the rebel impolite.

"Impolite?" Wu'er said. "You've got a millionpeople on the streets and you're calling meimpolite?"

According to students at the meeting, Li toldthem if the movement does not end "it will be morechaotic than the Cultural Revolution," adecade-long political struggle that left hundredsof thousands dead.

"Beijing already is in disorder and it isspreading to the whole country," Li said, in anedited version of the meeting broadcast ontelevision.

Protests occurred in dozens of other citiesWednesday and yesterday, fasts in three and classboycotts in more than 40, the official mediareported.

The reports yesterday were comprehensive,generally sympathetic to the students and marked abreak with 40 years of state-controlled journalismin Communist China.

Papers even quoted people as saying the studentdemands were logical and that the governmentshould give in.

A new hunger strike began yesterday in front ofthe party headquarters, involving about 30students and--for the first time--teachers.

More than 2000 of the fasters have beenhospitalized since the strike began Saturday, but1500 of them have returned to continue the fast.The official media said strikers were sufferingfrom pinkeye and dysentery.

Officials said tens of thousands of workers hadnot gone to work in Beijing and people wereflooding into Beijing by the thousands to supportthe strike