Cirque du Soleil shocks Beijing audience with Tiananmen 'tank man' image - Polidicks

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/j78x.jpg[/img] [url]http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/15/world/asia/tank-man-cirque-soleil/index.html[/url] [quote]A Cirque du Soleil performance left a Beijing audience audibly shocked when a banned image of the iconic Tiananmen "tank man" protester was displayed on giant screens in front of 15,000 people. The politically-charged image -- of a sole, unarmed protester blocking a line of tanks during a 1989 government crackdown in Tiananmen Square -- was displayed for about four seconds as part of a montage of protest imagery during a performance of Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us," according to a post on That's Beijing magazine's website. "The result was an audible collective gasp from the audience," wrote That's Beijing's editor, Stephen George, in a post which has since been deleted. "The very fact it was displayed, so publicly and on such a large movie theater screen in front of so many people -- and in Beijing, of all places -- felt genuinely quite radical," he wrote. "As my friend commented, 'I can't imagine ever being witness to that image being shown in Beijing again, even if I stay here for another 50 years.'"[/quote]

That took some balls.

China's weird like that. Everyone knows about it, but you can't talk about it, mention it or anything or else you'll be hauled away by a deathsquad.

[quote] "What would the Americans think if you put a photo of the collapsing World Trade Center in the show? Keep it out of the performance, stupid French Canadians!"[/quote] :v:

I like how even the post regarding the audience's reaction was deleted.

It's a good thing the message got out to people...to see the image with your own eyes, especially if the event itself has been downplayed and forbidden as a conversation topic, can be effective in waking people up...at least, for as much good it does. I wonder if the people responsible for displaying the image are in custody or not. It seems likely they'd be arrested, if not pursued.

[QUOTE=Paul McCartney;41882523]China's weird like that. Everyone knows about it, but you can't talk about it, mention it or anything or else you'll be hauled away by a deathsquad.[/QUOTE] I don't know about that. Their censors are quite good at the job. Most Chinese in my experience (Mostly people in their 20s and educated) over a few months there don't recognise that image or other charged ones such as the flag of Tibet. Even after living in the West or more liberal Asian countries (Japan, Singapore) they remain ignorant of these photographs, I think it's because they have little interest in politics and don't like Western criticism of China. Also I got the impression that when Westerners or their media perform such stunts critcal of the PRC or supportive of the dissidents, the average Chinese citizen doesn't take it as an opportunity to "enlighten" themselves or as support for their plight but rather as criticism coming from somoene whom they think should mind their own business and doesn't really know what they're talking about.

It was this bad for the picture? I can't imagine what would happen if they saw the video.

[QUOTE=Zenreon117;41882673]It was this bad for the picture? I can't imagine what would happen if they saw the video.[/QUOTE] The videos - the completely uncensored stuff - would be devastating. There's footage of people who have been run over by tanks and that kind of thing.

[video=youtube;s9A51jN19zw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9A51jN19zw[/video] i strongly encourage everyone to watch this, its amazing how little people know of it, millions of people marched in beijing and thousands if not hundreds of thousands were killed in 1989 on the streets

[QUOTE=Turing;41882828][video=youtube;s9A51jN19zw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9A51jN19zw[/video] i strongly encourage everyone to watch this, its amazing how little people know of it, millions of people marched in beijing and thousands if not hundreds of thousands were killed in 1989 on the streets[/QUOTE] Christ.

Just a heads up, any big show in china gets approved. The cirque people are gonna be ok it's the bureaucrat that missed that 1 image that's get the kick.

[QUOTE=Turing;41882828][video=youtube;s9A51jN19zw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9A51jN19zw[/video] i strongly encourage everyone to watch this, its amazing how little people know of it, millions of people marched in beijing and thousands if not hundreds of thousands were killed in 1989 on the streets[/QUOTE] That stuff around the 1hr mark when the protestors are burning soldiers alive and ripping them limb from limb was pretty fucked up...

[QUOTE=Paul McCartney;41882523]China's weird like that. Everyone knows about it, but you can't talk about it, mention it or anything or else you'll be hauled away by a deathsquad.[/QUOTE] Or see it on a big screen for four seconds with 14999 other people

Wow I can't imagine the shock of that being seen on a big screen in China. I imagine it would be even more of a shock if this alternative image of the same scene was used as well shortly after the first one had been seen. [t]http://i.imgur.com/7kd00R2.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Genericenemy;41883512]Wow I can't imagine the shock of that being seen on a big screen in China. I imagine it would be even more of a shock if this alternative image of the same scene was used as well shortly after the first one had been seen. [t]http://i.imgur.com/7kd00R2.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] standing in front of 3 tanks is one thing, standing in front of 110 is downright ballsy

[QUOTE=Scotchair;41883329]That stuff around the 1hr mark when the protestors are burning soldiers alive and ripping them limb from limb was pretty fucked up...[/QUOTE] Shooting into innocent homes and killing bystanders and ambulance drivers is fucked up too

That one scene is slightly humorous in how the guy standing in the way would just jump in the tanks path and stop it from going anywhere. Luckily he was rushed off by someone else. Not too sure what to think of this. While its strange for people to be shocked by their own history, and stranger that it'd be shown at a circus act, I don't think its entirely uncommon as China likes to filter out the not-good parts.

[QUOTE=Crumpet;41885229]Shooting into innocent homes and killing bystanders and ambulance drivers is fucked up too[/QUOTE] Because one side is fucked up doesn't mean the other one is inherently good and virtuous.

[QUOTE=Vaught;41885331]That one scene is slightly humorous in how the guy standing in the way would just jump in the tanks path and stop it from going anywhere. [B]Luckily he was rushed off by someone else.[/B] Not too sure what to think of this. While its strange for people to be shocked by their own history, and stranger that it'd be shown at a circus act, I don't think its entirely uncommon as China likes to filter out the not-good parts.[/QUOTE] I don't think he was as lucky as you think.

[QUOTE=Vaught;41885331]That one scene is slightly humorous in how the guy standing in the way would just jump in the tanks path and stop it from going anywhere. Luckily he was rushed off by someone else. Not too sure what to think of this. While its strange for people to be shocked by their own history, and stranger that it'd be shown at a circus act, I don't think its entirely uncommon as China likes to filter out the not-good parts.[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/2013/march/images/historical-photos-pt3-tank-man-tiananmen-square.jpg[/img] He didn't just jump in, he saw the tanks approaching a fair way back, and decided to stand in the way

[QUOTE=Vaught;41885331]That one scene is slightly humorous in how the guy standing in the way would just jump in the tanks path and stop it from going anywhere. Luckily he was rushed off by someone else. Not too sure what to think of this. While its strange for people to be shocked by their own history, and stranger that it'd be shown at a circus act, I don't think its entirely uncommon as China likes to filter out the not-good parts.[/QUOTE] Rushed off? Pretty sure I heard he was arrested and later executed.

[QUOTE=chunkymonkey;41885918]I don't think he was as lucky as you think.[/QUOTE] Did you watch the video at all?

[QUOTE=Ryo Ohki;41886042]Did you watch the video at all?[/QUOTE] Did you watch it? It says the man in the bike told the "tankman" something that made him retreat(Why would he back off?) and then another man grabbed him by his left arm, typical of police while the other two told the tanks to move on. It says there's a possibility those were policeman and that he was beaten, tortured and murdered that same day. I'm amazed this happened only 24 years ago, the power governments have over its military is frightening and how some can follow these orders.

[QUOTE=Scotchair;41883329]That stuff around the 1hr mark when the protestors are burning soldiers alive and ripping them limb from limb was pretty fucked up...[/QUOTE] I don't condone it, it's pretty fucked up but when you hear/see what the soldiers have done I think it's understandable.

[QUOTE=ElectricSquid;41882741]The videos - the completely uncensored stuff - would be devastating. There's footage of people who have been run over by tanks and that kind of thing.[/QUOTE] my english prof made us watch the whole thing for one paper my junior year, ive seen some messed up shit on doccumentries, and i even have watched through the entire one on when they decided to detonate nuclear bombs and march troops through the fallout and seen the holocost footage, but i still couldn't quite grasp how inhuman those drivers were when they just recklessly bowled through the throng of people with a 10 ton armored battering ram at least the tank driver in front was human enough to stop [editline]18th August 2013[/editline] i heard though that they don't even really teach that part of their history to the kids though and most of the younger generation don't even see it till its pointed out to them outside of china

[QUOTE=Scotchair;41883329]That stuff around the 1hr mark when the protestors are burning soldiers alive and ripping them limb from limb was pretty fucked up...[/QUOTE] Well what do you expect when you persecute your citizens to the point where they have no choice but to fight for their lives like cornered animals. I don't condone the graphic violence, but the Chinese government was entirely responsible for the outcome. They escalated the situation when they declared martial law and starting murdering their own people.

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Duck_man.jpg[/IMG] They should have shown this instead. Still gets the point across, in my opinion.

i wish those protests had been more successful, but sadly i don't think we'll see a democratic china in our lifetime.

probably not, it seems this generation is one of incredible materialism, they just want their iphones and buicks