Behind the Lens: The Courageous Act of Revealing the Tiananmen Square Photo
A powerful image etched in history: an unknown individual in a white shirt, hands holding bags, bravely confronting a line of tanks on Beijing's Avenue of Eternal Peace, following a violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations by the Chinese Communist Party.
Mike Chinoy, a non-resident senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s US-China Institute and former Beijing bureau chief for CNN, recently released a book titled “Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic.” The interviews featured in this piece are taken from the book.
In a powerful and unforgettable image, an unidentified man wearing a white shirt, carrying bags in his hands, stands defiantly in front of a line of tanks on Beijing’s Avenue of Eternal Peace. This moment captured the aftermath of a brutal military crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party on pro-democracy demonstrators.
The iconic image of the "tank man" has come to symbolize the tragic events of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, which marked its 35th anniversary on Tuesday.
On the fateful night of June 3, 1989, following weeks of protests by students and workers calling for political reform and an end to corruption, armed troops descended upon central Beijing to disperse the demonstrators. The scene turned violent and chaotic, with reports of tanks crushing unarmed protesters and soldiers shooting into the crowd without discrimination.
The massacre continues to be a highly sensitive political topic in mainland China, and any discussion about it is heavily censored. Remembering the event can result in being arrested and jailed. The Chinese government has not disclosed an official number of casualties, but experts believe that the death toll could be anywhere from hundreds to thousands.
People hold candles at a vigil in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square anniversary on June 4, 2017. Hong Kong, a former British colony, was the only place on Chinese soil where such vigils were allowed — until Beijing's recent crackdown on the city ended the decades-long tradition.
People gathered in Hong Kong on June 4, 2017, to hold candles at a vigil commemorating the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident. Hong Kong, once a British colony, was the only location in China where these vigils were permitted. However, Beijing's recent actions in the city have brought an end to this long-standing tradition.
Each year on June 4, diaspora communities and protesters in exile worldwide come together to remember the event. They often share the iconic photo taken by Jeff Widener, a photographer for the Associated Press (AP), and footage captured by CNN's crews.
The journey of the photograph itself reflects the tension and fear of that time. It involved sneaking equipment and film past authorities and across borders. At that point, the Chinese government was making efforts to control the information being shared with the world. They even tried to prevent American news outlets, including CNN, from broadcasting live from Beijing.
During the crackdown in China, Mike Chinoy, CNN’s Beijing bureau chief at the time, conducted interviews for his book “Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic”. These interviews provide a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most well-known moments of the crisis. Chinoy was present during the event, broadcasting live from a balcony and speaking to witnesses before and after the historic occurrence.
Journalists had to be sneaky and creative during the crackdown, often sneaking into areas and smuggling in their equipment to capture the unfolding events.
It was Monday, June 5, 1989, and Beijing was still recovering from the events of the previous day. Liu Heung-shing, the photo editor for the AP in Beijing, reached out to Widener for assistance in capturing photos of Chinese troops from the Beijing Hotel. This hotel offered the best view of the square, which was now under military control.
Widener had arrived from the news agency's Bangkok office just a week before to help with the coverage. He had faced challenges during the crackdown, having been struck in the head by a rock and also battling the flu.
He embarked on his journey, concealing his camera gear in his jacket – a 400-millimeter lens in one pocket, a doubler in another, film tucked in his underwear, and the camera body stashed in his back pocket.
A young woman is caught between civilians and Chinese soldiers near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, June 3, 1989.
A young woman is caught between civilians and Chinese soldiers near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, June 3, 1989.
Jeff Widener/AP
As I biked towards the Beijing Hotel, I couldn't help but notice the debris and charred buses scattered on the ground. Suddenly, four tanks approached, each manned by soldiers armed with heavy machine guns. I found myself on my bicycle, thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Amidst rumors of journalists having their film and cameras confiscated, I knew I had to find a way into the hotel. Upon peering into the darkened lobby, I spotted a Western college student. Approaching him, I whispered, "I'm from Associated Press, can you let me up to your room?" Without hesitation, he understood and replied, "Sure."
Kirk Martsen, a young American exchange student, sneaked Widener into his sixth-floor hotel room. From there, Widener started taking photos of tanks passing by on the roads below. Sometimes he would hear the sound of a bell, indicating a cart carrying a body or an injured person being taken to the hospital.
Jonathan Schaer, a cameraman from CNN based in the US, was also present at the hotel where other journalists were staying. He had flown to Beijing to help his tired teammates. Schaer had placed a camera on the balcony of CNN's hotel room, from where they had been broadcasting live updates on the crackdown happening over the weekend.
Schaer remembered, "Another cameraman pointed out, 'Hey, look at the guy in front of the tanks!' I quickly zoomed in and began filming."
As the column of tanks came to a halt and the man stood in front of them, they attempted to intimidate him by firing shots above his head. Schaer described, "They were essentially shooting in the direction where we were positioned. The bullets were so near that you could hear them zipping past."
Back in Martsen’s room, Widener was getting ready to take a picture of the tanks driving down the road. He noticed a man with shopping bags stepping out and waving the bags in front of the tanks. Widener thought the man might get shot, so he kept his camera focused on him, waiting anxiously.
Jeff Widener's iconic "Tank Man" photo on June 5, 1989, showing an unidentified man standing in front of a column of tanks after the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, China.
Jeff Widener's iconic "Tank Man" photo on June 5, 1989, showing an unidentified man standing in front of a column of tanks after the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, China.
Jeff Widener/AP
The tank attempted to maneuver around the man, but the man matched its movements, blocking its path once more. Eventually, the man even climbed onto the front tank and seemed to be having a conversation with someone inside.
However, Widener encountered a dilemma - the scene was too distant for his 400-mm lens. His doubler, which could have doubled his zoom capability, was out of reach on the bed. This presented him with a decision: Should he risk missing the shot by taking the time to retrieve the doubler?
He seized the opportunity, quickly attached the doubler to the camera, and snapped “one, two, three shots. Then it was all over,” he recalled. Suddenly, some individuals arrived, grabbed the suspect, and fled the scene. Liu vividly recalls sitting on a small sofa near the window, while Martsen, the student, anxiously asked, ‘Did you capture it? Did you capture it?’ He had a feeling that he might have captured the moment, but he wasn't entirely certain.
Liu received a call from Widener and wasted no time in giving instructions: wind up the film, head to the lobby, and request one of the many foreign students to deliver it to the AP office.
The pictures were quickly sent to the rest of the world via telephone lines.
Widener then instructed the student to ride away on a bicycle with the film concealed in his underwear. Shortly after, Liu recalled, "an American man with a ponytail and a backpack arrived with an AP envelope." The film was promptly developed, and upon viewing the frame, Liu confirmed, "that's the shot that was sent out."
A student protester stood in front of a burning armored personnel carrier that had crashed through student lines, causing injuries during an attack on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on June 4, 1989.
A student protester before a burning armored personnel carrier that rammed through student lines, injuring many during an attack on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on June 4, 1989.
Schaer, the CNN photojournalist, didn’t realize the significance of what they had recorded at first. During the early days of email when large video files couldn't be easily sent, CNN was using a special device provided by Sony for testing. This prototype took an hour to scan just one frame of video and send it over a phone line, according to Schaer.
They sent five frames, made copies of the tape, and sent it to the airport in Beijing. From there, they enlisted a tourist to take the tape to Hong Kong, which was still a British colony at the time and not under Chinese rule.
Several media outlets captured photos of "Tank Man," but Widener's shot was the most widely used. It appeared on the front pages of newspapers worldwide and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize that year.
Widener was surprised by the impact of the image the next morning when he received messages from viewers and journalists worldwide at the AP office.
To this day, the identity and fate of the man in the photo remain unknown. Nevertheless, he continues to represent the courage of an individual facing off against authority.
Many people feel a personal connection to this individual because he embodies the challenges we all face in our lives. He has become a symbol for many, representing the struggles we go through on a daily basis. This insight was shared by Widener in Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic by Mike Chinoy.
