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Tankman

 

The Tankman

 

Tankman, or the Unknown Rebel, is the nickname of an anonymous man (sometimes known as Wang Weilin) who became internationally famous when he was videotaped and photographed after the Tiananmen Massacre in China on 5th June, 1989.

Several photographs were taken of the man, who stood in front of a column of tanks, preventing their advance. One of the most widely reproduced versions of the photograph was taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press from the sixth floor of the Beijing Hotel.

The still and motion photography of the man standing alone before a line of tanks reached international audiences practically overnight. It headlined hundreds of major newspapers and news magazines and was the lead story on countless news broadcasts around the world. In April 1998, Time magazine included the “Unknown Rebel” in its feature entitled Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.

More about The Unknown Rebel/The Tank Man : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

In 1990, Barbara Walters interviewed Jiang Zemin and asked what had become of the Tankman.(Video)

In 2000, Mike Wallace (CBS 60 minutes) interviewed Jiang Zemin

Wallace asked Jiang if he admired the courage of the student who stood down the tank during the student uprising in Tiananmen Square. 

"He was never arrested," Jiang said. "I don't know where he is now. Looking at the picture I know he definitely had his own ideas."

"You have not answered the question, Mr. President," Wallace said. "Did a part of Jiang Zemin admire his courage?"

"I know what you are driving at, but what I want to emphasize is that we fully respect every citizen's right to freely express his wishes and desires," Jiang said. "But I do not favor any flagrant opposition to government actions during an emergency. The tank stopped and did not run the young man down."

"I'm not talking about the tank," Wallace said. "I'm talking about that man's heart, that man's courage, that man, that lonely man, standing against that."