Tank Man
"Tank Man" | |
|---|---|
"Tank Man" temporarily stops the advance of four Type 59 tanks on June 5, 1989, in Beijing. This photograph (one of six similar versions) was taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press. | |
| Disappeared | June 5, 1989 39°54′23.5″N 116°23′59.8″E / 39.906528°N 116.399944°E |
| Nationality | Chinese (presumed) |
| Other names |
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| Known for | Iconic photo of him obstructing tanks during the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre |
The Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname given to an unidentified individual, presumed to be a Chinese man, who stood in front of a column of Type 59 tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989. On the previous day, the government of China cleared the square of protesting students after six weeks of standoff, in the process killing hundreds or even thousands of people mostly in other parts of Beijing.[1][2] As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him, and forced the tanks to halt to avoid running him over; the man then climbed on top of the tank where the PLA soldiers talked to him. The incident was filmed and shared to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time.[3][4][5] Inside China, the image and the accompanying events are subject to censorship.[6][7]
Many documentaries and related exhibitions about the June 4 Tiananmen Square Incident mention the incident of protesters blocking tanks, and regard the "Tank Man" as an iconic symbol of the incident. The British Sunday Express first circulated the protester's name as "Wang Weilin"; however, Tank Man's exact identity and whereabouts remain unknown, and different news media have different names for the protester. The PBS program Frontline produced a documentary about the incident in 2006.
In April 1998, Time magazine named "The Unknown Rebel" one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. In 2003, Life magazine published a book called “100 Photos That Changed the World” which also included photos of people blocking a tank convoy. Although the images are regarded as an iconic symbol of the 20th century, the Chinese government prohibits the circulation of related images on the Internet, which means that most Chinese people are not aware of them.
There is no reliable information about the identity or fate of Tank Man; the story of the tank crew is also unknown.[8] At least one witness has stated that Tank Man was not the only person to have blocked the tanks during the protest.[10]
- ^ Mathews, Jay. "The Myth of Tiananmen". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Roth, Richard (June 4, 2009). "There Was No "Tiananmen Square Massacre" - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTimeretrospectwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Pitts, Joe. "Tiananmen Anniversary" 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page H6079 (June 3, 2009)
- ^ Corless, Kieron (May 24, 2006). "Time In – Plugged In – Tank Man". Time Out.
- ^ Hernández, Javier C. (June 3, 2019). "30 Years After Tiananmen, 'Tank Man' Remains an Icon and a Mystery". The New York Times.
- ^ Ables, Kelsey (August 7, 2019). "The forbidden images of the Chinese internet". CNN. Artsy. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "Photographer Jeff Widener". BBC interview (Video ed.). 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Shao Jiang interview". Amnesty International (Video posted for 25th anniversary ed.). Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2014. Those interviewed include the photographer Stuart Franklin, with Magnum for TIME, who was on the 5th-floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel.
- ^ Shao Jiang, who was a student leader, said: "I witnessed a lot of the people standing up, blocking the tanks."[9]