One moment in life can project a virtually unknown person into worldwide fame, and never has this statement been truer than for the lone young man who stood in front of oncoming tanks, blocking their path, until they came to a halt. Time Magazine snapped the photograph, and the man was catapulted to fame in an instant. Even decades later, his identity has remained a mystery, known around the world by the moniker “Tank Man.”[1]
Iconic and symbolic, the photograph of his peaceful protest has endured as a most influential photograph. In this analysis, five criteria set forth by Harriman and Lucaites will be applied to the photograph to demonstrate why “Tank Man” remains relevant and one of the most recognized images around the world to this day: it is widely recognized across many societies, is widely available, many can identify with the photograph, can be considered an iconic image for a sacred society, and is widely understood as a photograph from an important event from history.[2]
First, some background information will be provided that will add to the understanding of the context of the photograph. The five parameters will then be applied to show why the image is important and why it remains relevant today.
Background Information
In 1989, a student-led demonstration in the capital city of China, Beijing made headlines worldwide, leading to the Tiananmen Square Massacre where hundreds of people demonstrating against government corruption and lack of human rights were killed.[3]
“According to ancient research, most of the leaders then were angered by the occurrences.”[4]
It was set under the backdrop of the rapid financial and social changes in the society in the post-Mao China, with many of the demonstrators worried about the future of the country.
When a nation restrains freedom of speech in an economic or political crisis period, students become the first to act. After the reforms experienced in the country during the 1980s transformation, there was a nascent market economy that profited only a section of people but had severe adverse impacts on others.[5]
Students called for anti-corruption measures, freedom of the press, democracy, and freedom of speech; although, they had disparities in leadership and consistent goals. The Chinese government capitalized on these weaknesses to create party leadership divisions, further weakening the protests and enabling the military to intervene. “By May in the year of demonstration, students had led a hunger strike galvanized support to facilitate the protest and had spread to over 400 cities within the nation.”[6]
Due to the widespread impact of the protests, China’s leader at the time, Deng Xiaoping, in cooperation with other Communist leaders, perceived the objection as a political threat, and they worked to shut it down.
The act of using force and the killing of the people led to the U. S. condemnation of Chinese leadership. “Apart from the constitution that could help it boost its economy and improve the leaders through ensuring human rights, the state was the first to reject it through using force against demonstrators.”[7]
In a counter-mission, the Chinese government condemned all the counter-revolutionary riots, citing the threats imposed by the occurences, and undermined other nations for promoting bad governance, which could lead to instability in China. The actions made a public arrest of demonstrators and their followers countrywide, sent away foreign journalists, and controlled what the domestic press published.
Despite the Chinese government’s efforts to squelch widespread information of the massacre, one photograph escaped from the government’s pursuit, and then traveled around the globe as a stand for democracy and a single protest of an oppressive communist government. The photograph has since then garnered worldwide interest, and it remains an important and influential image today. The reasons why “Tank Man” is iconic are detailed below.
Why and How “Tank Man” Is an Iconic Photo
From the introduction and the background information, it is evident that the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 was an important historical occurrence for China as a nation, and “Tank Man” emerges as one of the most important photographs from this event. “One of the essential and recurrent photographs that changed history is the Iconic Tank Man.”[8]
The image, which portrays a man and unarmed person standing without fear before the battalion-armored tank, represents courage and protest against an oppressive government. The photograph is as symbolic as it is iconic. The man carries no weapons; he represents the masses of people who peacefully protested, but yet were gunned down in violence. This image spread around the world and garnered interest and study from the western world. Many people of varied background, therefore, easily recognize the image. As Harriman and Lucaites (2007) noted in their piece, “the tank man would live beyond the countable tense moments of the rants he encountered and after that be a permanent and universal symbol.”[9]
“Tank Man” has since travelled the globe as the centerpiece of “East versus West” discussions and controversy, making it a widely recognizable photograph. Since Tank Man’s first appearance in New York Times magazine and Times Magazine in the 20th
century, the photograph has been delivered both for public and private application. However, the enhancement and repurposing of the iconic photo come with visual changes in bringing out changing connotations. The structure is often modified to bring out the desired meaning either to undertake a given issue in the nation or to point out the state of things in that community. With thematic similarities of the other versions of the photograph, artists have reconditioned the photograph to fit within the context of their purposes. The figure has been reevaluated and applied in various mainstream newspapers, Internet sites, and magazines to show a point that the researcher wants to bring out.[10]
For instance, the “Tank Man” portrait has been depicted by Dave Brown, who pictured the former president in front of the tanks instead of Tank Man.[11]
In addition, the photograph had inspired much “East versus West” dialogue and controversy, the communist regime inviting criticism from the West for squelching human rights. One western criticism that stands out from this controversy was “the leader Deng Xiaoping had a slogan that ‘to get rich is glorious.”[12]
However, the Chinese saw this statement as offensive since it had attributes of capitalism and was against China’s collective traditions. In fact, the Chinese government viewed the student uprising as anti-Chinese and pro-capitalist,[13] their actions an affront to the collectivism in Chinese society. To the Chinese government, the students’ actions were selfish. Because the photograph was widely distributed, known, and part of the international dialogue regarding the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the student protests across the country for government reform,[14] the photograph continues to be important.
“Tank Man” also remains an influential, iconic photo because it resonates with a worldwide audience: “The ‘Tank Man’ provides a more or less idealized sense of who they are and what they ought to be.”[15] The photograph is symbolic for all people who struggle against an oppressive government. All who are in the same situation as “Tank Man” can identify with him as who they are. This is due to the fact that visual media “are presumed evidentiary forms of data that convey changing forms of unfinished detail, allows the consumer to use, and create changing understandable data.”[16]
The Tank Man rapidly came out as the dominant representation of the happenings of Tiananmen in 1989. Varying newspapers had created captions for the statue with the Time Magazine explaining it as ‘the brief encounter between the man and the tank that captured an epochal event.”[17] The interpretation, therefore, made it a picture that had multiple uses and could carry different forms of meaning. The picture exists as not only an iconic embodiment of the students’ protests but also for the Chinese nation at large. In addition, the image went worldwide because Tank Man can be seen as a folk hero, for who would have either the foolhardiness or courage to face down a row of tanks? His Ghandi-like endeavor, peaceful resistance in the face of violence, embodies everything that is lauded and everything that is condemned, with the lone man in the face of tyranny reminding the world of who they ought to be when such a time arises.
Moreover, the Tank Man is sacred for a pure society. Before the military intervened, evidence of the freedoms China’s society had started demanding had become evident. The man, representing their voice, but also their limited power to demand rights and freedom from the government, contains sacredness and pureness because of the pureness of the intentions of those in society who were protesting against the Chinese government, and because the image of the man capturing so perfectly the position of each opposing party, it contains a sacredness for the ones who were demanding rights at the time. However, the lone man standing in opposition of the tanks, the fact that he stopped them in their path, embodies the hopes and dreams of the people expressing their needs for reform and more human rights. “In 1988, a scholar Julia Kwong showed a series of protests by learners in various colleges.”[18]
In addition to this evidence that people around the nation were expressing the same thing, “… in December, 1986, learners at the University of Science and Technology Hefei had a union,” which held heated discussions about their lack of representation in the government.[19]
“Four days later, as the students hold the anniversary of the protests, the same persons picketed for three hours.”[20]
Thus, “Tank Man” represented the resistance that was commonly expressed and felt during the time across the nation. He held a sacred and pure value for the people of China.
The overall understanding of the “Tank Man” image is that it is a representation of a political event with historical significance as a nation. It is globally recognized as “one of the 100 photos that changed the universe”[21]
because it so perfectly captures China and its conflict at that moment in time. “Since then, the image has had a significant role in representing the events of Tiananmen, 1989.”[22]
It has come to represent the events at Tiananmen Square. In addition, the perception shapes how people view the world and also shows the actions of a communist China against its people.[23]
The capturing of the photograph during this historically significant time involves a little more than simply producing an image of a moment in that time in history. All of the previous points about “Tank Man’s” iconic significance contribute to this last point. There were other images from the time, which included protesting students. However, none captured the heart of the conflict of this historic event as perfectly as “Tank Man” has. Yes, it is an event, a small one that happened during the protests and the military action against the students. In China, it might not have even registered as an important event or image. However, on a world stage, the image became a representation for the Tiananmen incident because of its symbolic power. One the one side was the limitless power of the military under the government. On the other side, a man, powerless to stop a line of tanks, stands in their way anyway, in the hopes to have his voice heard. It is what makes the image irresistible to the rest of the world, and why it generated so much discussion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “Tank Man” fits in the five points criteria that make an image to be iconic. The photograph attracted worldwide recognition around the globe. Both public and private entities use the concept to pass on a message relating to the context, be it political, social, or economic conditions of a nation. Through an analysis of the tank man’s actions in Tiananmen, 1989, people have a personal affiliation of the event while creating a sense of who they are and what people ought to do as citizens. Additionally, the image carries political significance in the history of China. Freedom remains a controversial aspect which threatens government stability. State depicts interferes with people rights and censoring freedom even in collages due to the influence it has to convince a multitude of economic and development issues. Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China is a case example of how the state felt threatened and revealed using force to stop protestors, hence killing hundreds of people, showing the impact of government censorship on society.[24] Images have the potential to capture the hearts and minds of a worldwide audience. Their symbolic potential, as “Tank Man” has shown, can stir emotion, create controversy, and raise awareness. This image raised awareness of China’s internal struggles with the state versus personal freedom. One can only hope that there will never be another occasion to capture such an image again.
Bibliography
Bhagwat, Ashutosh. "Free Speech without Democracy." UCDL Rev. 49 (2015): 59.
Bok, Derek. "Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus." Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Edited by Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau 6 (2002): 51-52.
Dunleavy, Brian. "Who Was The Tank Man Of Tiananmen Square?" History. Last modified 2018. https://www.history.com/news/who-was-the-tank-man-of-tiananmen-square
Harriman, Robert, and John Louis Lucaites. No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Hillenbrand, Margaret. "Remaking Tank Man, in China." Journal of Visual Culture 16, no. 2 (2017): 127-166.
Hubbert, Jennifer. "Appropriating Iconicity: Why Tank Man Still Matters." Visual Anthropology Review 30, no. 2 (2014): 114-126.
Ibrahim, Yasmin. "Tank Man, Media Memory and Yellow Duck Patrol: Remembering Tiananmen on Social Media." Digital Journalism 4, no. 5 (2016): 582-596.
Kwong, Julia. "The 1986 Student Demonstrations in China: A Democratic Movement?." Asian Survey 28, no. 9 (1988): 970-985. Last modified 2018. https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-Tank-Man-stand-infront-of-the-tanks.
Marmion, Patrick. 2013. “Thrilling Tale of the Tiananmen Tank Man.” Daily Mail. Last modified August 30, 2013. https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=90004596&site=eds-live.
Pickert, Kate. “Tank Man at 25: Behind the Iconic Tiananmen Square Photo.” Time.com. Last modified June 1, 2014. https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=96414471&site=eds-live.
"Tiananmen Square 25 Years on: 'Every Person in the Crowd Was a Victim of the Massacre'". The Guardian. Last modified 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/tiananmen-square-25-years-every-person-victim-massacre.
"Tiananmen Square, 1989 | University Library." University of Indiana. Last modified 2018. http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/collections/TS.
[1]
Margaret Hillenbrand, "Remaking Tank Man, in China," Journal of Visual Culture 16, no. 2 (2017): 131.
[2]
Harriman, Robert, and John Louis Lucaites. No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
[3]
Jennifer Hubbert, "Appropriating Iconicity: Why Tank Man Still Matters," Visual Anthropology Review 30, no. 2 (2014): 114.
[4] Yasmin Ibrahim, "Tank Man, Media Memory and Yellow Duck Patrol: Remembering Tiananmen on Social Media," Digital Journalism 4, no. 5 (2016): 582-596.
[5]
Jennifer Hubbert, "Appropriating Iconicity: Why Tank Man Still Matters," Visual Anthropology Review 30, no. 2 (2014): 114.
[6]
Margaret Hillenbrand, "Remaking Tank Man, in China," Journal of Visual Culture 16, no. 2 (2017): 127-166.
[7] Derek Bok, "Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus," Current Issues and Enduring Questions, ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau 6 (2002): 51-52.
[8] "Tiananmen Square, 1989 | University Library," University of Indiana, last modified 2018, http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/collections/TS.
[9] Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites, No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007).
[10]
Patrick Marmion, “Thrilling Tale of the Tiananmen Tank Man.” Daily Mail, last modified August 30, 2013, https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=90004596&site=eds-live.
[11] Brian Dunleavy, "Who Was The Tank Man Of Tiananmen Square?" History, last modified 2018, https://www.history.com/news/who-was-the-tank-man-of-tiananmen-square
[12]
Ibid., 26
[13] Ibid, 49.
[14]
Ibid, 47.
[15] Kate Pickert, “Tank Man at 25: Behind the Iconic Tiananmen Square Photo,” Time.com., last modified June 1, 2014, https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=96414471&site=eds-live.
[16] Jennifer Hubbert, "Appropriating Iconicity: Why Tank Man Still Matters," Visual Anthropology Review 30, no. 2 (2014): 114-126.
[17] Ibid, 126.
[18] Patrick Marmion, “Thrilling Tale of the Tiananmen Tank Man.” Daily Mail, last modified August 30, 2013, https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=90004596&site=eds-live.
[19] "Tiananmen Square 25 Years on: 'Every Person in The Crowd Was a Victim of the Massacre,'” The Guardian, last modified 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/tiananmen-square-25-years-every-person-victim-massacre.
[20] Julia Kwong, "The 1986 Student Demonstrations in China: A Democratic Movement?" Asian Survey 28, no. 9 (1988): 970-985.
[21]
Jennifer Hubbert, "Appropriating Iconicity: Why Tank Man Still Matters," Visual Anthropology Review 30, no. 2 (2014): 114-126.
[22] Ibid, 115.
[23] Kate Pickert, “Tank Man at 25: Behind the Iconic Tiananmen Square Photo,” Time.com., last modified June 1, 2014, https://libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=96414471&site=eds-live.
[24] Ashutosh Bhagwat, "Free Speech Without Democracy," UCDL Rev. 49 (2015): 59.
