On June 4, 1989, China brutally shut down the mass protest for freedom and democracy in Tiananmen Square. Military violence resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.
(DW) It was a warm summer evening when the tanks surrounded Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Half an hour later, the lights went out and the brutalities began.
Around 40,000 soldiers had been called in from the north of the country, after the battalion stationed in the capital had refused to comply with orders to break up the peaceful demonstration for freedom and democracy that had begun six weeks earlier in the central square of the Chinese capital. The soldiers from Inner Mongolia, with their experienced officers who had fought in Vietnam, had no such qualms.
The tanks invaded the square, ran over the demonstrators and shot at everything that moved, leading to a veritable bloodbath. To this day, the exact number of dead is unknown. Students who tried to help the wounded were also killed.
A German woman who left China in a hurry at the time later reported that she saw around 500 university students in the street with black and white flowers on their clothes as a sign of mourning. “They were all run over by the tanks,” she said in horror.
The protests had begun six weeks earlier, after the death of party leader Hu Yaobang. On April 18, 1989, thousands of university students marched to occupy the central square of the Chinese capital. They demanded the democratization of the Communist Party and the fight against corruption.
Newspaper announces repressive measures
On April 26, the Renmin Ribao newspaper, the official organ of the government in Beijing, harshly criticized the student movement and announced repressive measures in its editorial. Ignoring the warning, thousands more students from 40 universities across the country took to the square. Journalists also showed solidarity with the movement and, for the first time, held a demonstration demanding freedom of the press.
In the early days of May, however, the split within the political leadership became clear. While the then party chief, Zhao Ziyang, showed understanding for the student demands, the prime minister, Li Peng, and Deng Xiaoping defended the hard line.
On May 13, the university students gathered in the square began a hunger strike, with some even refusing to drink water. Li Peng continued to refuse to comply with their demands and on May 20 he decreed martial law. Shortly afterwards, Zhao Ziyang was deposed, sealing the victory of the hardline Chinese government.
A split was also beginning to emerge among the protesters. The most radical refused to follow the suggestion made by the Peking University Alliance to end the demonstration. On the 29th, artists even made a 10-meter-high foam statue in honor of democracy in the middle of Tiananmen Square.
Then, on the night of June 4-5, tanks and trucks with soldiers carrying machine guns advanced mercilessly on the thousands of students. The feared civil war as a consequence of the massacre ended up not happening. The movement for democracy was suffocated in blood and the press subjugated to state control.
“Image of the tank man changed my life”
A photo of a lone man in front of a line of tanks became a symbol of the massacre in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. Years later, the author of the record, Jeff Widener, tells us about the scene behind the scenes.
In June 1989, thousands of Chinese gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing after the death of Communist leader Hu Yaobang. With freedom of the press and the fight against corruption on the list of demands, the pro-democracy movement gained momentum in the country. It was soon severely repressed by the government.
On June 4, tanks invaded the square, ran over demonstrators and opened fire on unarmed civilians. Although official figures have never been released, it is estimated that more than 3,000 Chinese died and another 60,000 were injured in the episode.
In the midst of the fear and confusion, one man stood out when he positioned himself in front of a column of tanks passing through the square. His fate, now known as the “tank man” or “unknown rebel”, has intrigued many – especially Jeff Widener, who recorded this historic moment on his camera.
In an interview with DW, the American photojournalist says that he only realized the importance of the photo years after the incident and explains how the image helped him find happiness in his private life.
DW: What’s the story behind the “tank man” photo?
Jeff Widener: On the morning of June 5, the day after the massacre, I was instructed by the Associated Press (AP) to try to photograph Tiananmen Square, which had been occupied by the military. This was practically a challenge, considering what had happened there the day before.
The closest viewpoint I could find was the Beijing Hotel. So I took a bicycle and found a way through the line of security guards. After managing to get into the hotel, with the help of a university student, I reached a balcony on the fifth floor of the building and positioned my 800 millimeter lens. By the end of the day, I hadn’t just captured the square. I also got a bonus: images of the “tank man”.
Who do you think the “tank man” was?
I think it was a man who was probably shopping and who may have been involved in the episode the day before. It could be that he had a girlfriend who died or was injured during the riots. I think he had a motive. He went into the street, saw the tanks coming, didn’t worry too much about his own safety, just did what he felt he had to do at the time.
What did you think of his attitude?
I thought his attitude was incredible, impressive. Everyone says he was brave. I agree. But sometimes I wonder what was going on in his head. Was he shaken by the death of a friend or relative? Perhaps, at that moment, he wasn’t thinking about himself.
What do you think happened to him after he was taken by four men?
Maybe we’ll never know. But I believe someone knows, they just won’t tell us.
What was the atmosphere like in Beijing on the day you took this photo?
Nobody wanted to go out on the streets. Everyone was frightened by what had happened over the last few days. I, for example, thought I was going to die on the night of June 3, when I was hit in the face by a brick thrown by a protester.
I was also afraid of dying when a truck full of soldiers came and opened fire. I ran desperately towards an alleyway, but I had to stop halfway because I was so out of breath. I thought: “I’m going to die because I’m out of shape”. That was one of the worst experiences I had during those days. Finally, I ended up knocking on the door of the US embassy. When they finally let me in, I was shaking. It was a miracle that I had lived through it and survived.
But it wasn’t the first time you’d experienced a situation like that. Are you comfortable working in risky situations?
Over the years, I’ve covered news stories in more than 100 countries that have experienced civil mobilization and social movements. I’ve always liked feeling that chill in my stomach, going into places that might be scary. I just don’t like the feeling of being the target of violence, but I like the recognition I get from my images.
What was going through your mind when you photographed the “tank man”?
The first thing I thought was that this man would ruin my photos. Then I was shocked like everyone else. I thought he would be killed right there. But he wasn’t, and that’s when I decided to get a lens that would double the focal length I had, because the scene was far away. It was an incredible experience.
When did you realize that you had captured a historic image?
I quickly knew that the image had made an impact. Newspapers and magazines all over the world were publishing the photo on half a page. But I think I only realized the scale of it all when AOL selected the image as one of the ten most famous of all time, putting me alongside photographers who, for example, captured the moon and the crash of the German airship Hindenburg. And then the chips fell and I realized that I had really done something special.
And how do you feel about the fact that the image is still censored in China?
It’s a shame for the Chinese government. I don’t understand why they won’t come clean. There were mistakes on both sides, and they’re not fooling anyone. It’s almost comical that this image is still banned in the country. Everyone knows about it.
Where there is a desire for knowledge, people will eventually find out. After many of the worst tragedies in history, the countries involved go back, apologize and chart a new course. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen with the Chinese government. Maybe one day.
How has the photo impacted your life?
The image has been, in a way, both a blessing and a curse. As a photographer, you would also like to be remembered for your other work and not just for that “lucky shot”. I hope that one day my other work will also be recognized. But of course I’m not complaining. That image helped my career and opened many doors for me.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***