"Yes, up in your hotel room, taking pictures. Behind your camera, plane ticket in your pocket, I was there."
In this quotation, Zhang Lin criticizes Joe's limited understanding of the Tank Man and the Tiananmen Square protests more broadly. Though Joe did take an iconic and influential photograph, he interacted with the protests from a place of privilege. As Zhang Lin asserts, Joe's stake in the protests was not as high as the Chinese protesters, as Joe flew back to the safety of America. In his hotel room, Joe's life was not at risk the way Zhang Lin's was. Thus, Joe's criticism of China and claim about the Tank Man's heroism are offensive and naive.
"Because so what if our economy’s stalling, our power is ebbing, one thing won’t change: America means freedom, it means rights, set down in a constitution, to speak, to protest, to be an individual, it is, and will always be, the homeland of heroes."
Mel says this while insisting that Joe frame the Tank Man follow-up story as a pro-American propaganda piece. In retrospect, this quotation is ironic, as Mel, Frank, and Joe mistakenly believe that the Tank Man came to America, the "homeland of heroes." In actuality, Zhang Lin, the real Tank Man, stayed in China and continued his protests. Though Mel insists that America means "freedom" and the rights "to speak" and "to protest," Frank censors Joe's story and gives up on his political activism. This quotation invites the audience to consider the meaning of truth and freedom and how these values are best expressed.
"Sure, only there’s a [...] ceiling on how much money I want to make from a bunch of kids dying in a developing country okay?"
In this scene, Joe refuses to allow Tess to purchase one of his photographs, which depicts children fishing in a highly polluted river. Tess's desire to use this image on a credit card is highly ironic and offensive, as the river became polluted when China became a manufacturing giant, benefitting America's hyperconsumerist culture. Joe asserts his moral superiority, saying he is unwilling to become rich from his photographs of other people's suffering. This statement is ironic because Joe does profit off his pictures and eventually "sells out" by selling his protest photographs for thousands of dollars at a credit-card-sponsored gallery.
"Yeah well when you owe a guy one-point-three trillion dollars it’s prudent not to make a big deal out of the fact he knocks his wife around a little."
In this quotation, Frank uses the analogy of an abusive spouse to explain America's complicity in China's censorship and human rights violations. Frank explains that America, his company included, is willing to meet some of China's censorship demands, like not publishing Joe's story, because the American economy is indebted to China. This sentiment contrasts with Frank's earlier assertions that American laws ensure freedom of speech and individualism, implying that Americans are better situated to rebel against authoritarianism.
"The Vietnam War wasn't lost on the battlefields of Vietnam, it was lost in the living rooms of America, right?"
Joe and Tessa discuss the power of photography to influence geopolitical conflicts and lament that in the digital age, pictures are no longer impactful. They reference how, during the Vietnam War, public opinion was swayed against the war when images taken by wartime photographers were released. These photographs made Americans confront the human suffering their nation had caused and invited regular Americans, referenced in this quotation by "living rooms," to question the morality and validity of the war. Joe compares his Tank Man image to these photographs, as the iconic image generated public outcry against authoritarianism and demonstrated how average people can become part of history.
"Right, so the China she was born in was still medieval, thanks to the Party, she’s going to die in a space age. She’s a time traveller. She has motion sickness, is all."
Deng, a pro-Party businesswoman, dismisses Ming Xiaoli's devastating illness as the cost of progress, calling it "motion sickness," or an inability to adjust to rapid change. Deng insists that, though Ming Xiaoli dies a painful death, the Party's economic policy is ultimately justified, implying that Ming Xiaoli should be grateful for being taken from an agrarian, "medieval" society into a wealthy, technologically advanced "space age." However, Zhang Lin argues against this black-and-white thinking. He cites that when Ming Xiaoli was poor, "at least she could...breathe," inviting the audience to question the presumed virtue of economic growth.
"'Somewhere in Beijing tonight, a woman dies a third-world death in a new-world China built on her sweat, and her blood, and her sacrifice. And across the city, an official scratches his belly in his sleep, and dreams of regulations...’"
The guard interrogating Zhang Lin reads an excerpt from Zhang Lin's article aloud. The passage criticizes the Party's neglect of the public's health and highlights the moral hypocrisy of its policies. Zhang Lin references Ming Xiaoli's devotion to the Party and its values, as she was quite literally the "poster child," having posed for a propaganda image as a young girl. Despite Xiaoli's contributions to the Party, which considers itself collectivist, Ming Xiaoli is forgotten and dies a painful death from pollutants caused by China's rapid economic growth. Zhang Lin calls out city officials who lie about the air quality and only nominally enforce environmental and health regulations, misleading the public for profit.
"They’re multinational businesses, who’ve put vast resources into researching the Chinese market. And they’ve all failed. Because they believed China was looking over the fence wanting to be America and nothing could be further from the truth."
During her presentation, Tess explains a commonly misunderstood fact about China to potential investors. Though China underwent unprecedented economic growth following the 1989 protests, creating a massive consumer class, the Chinese population generally does not want to mimic American culture. Characters in Chimerica, like Frank and Joe, mistakenly assume that Chinese people consider America the "homeland of heroes" and a nation prioritizing freedom. However, as Tess points out, this cultural myth leads to misunderstandings between the two highly interconnected global superpowers.
"Sides? What does sides have to do with anything, he was a, he was a good man, even the Party saw that, you know how they used your picture? As a portrait of their humanity, look, we went around him! Did you know you were in the propaganda business?"
After discovering that Wang Pengfei, the soldier driving the tank in Joe's iconic photograph, was actually the "Unknown Hero," Joe complains to Zhang Lin and dismisses Wang Pengfei's heroism. However, Zhang Lin, the actual Tank Man, understands the nuance of the interaction. He explains that Wang Pengfei was heroic for refusing to mow down an innocent civilian. This fact adds uncomfortable complexity to Joe's narrative, as he believes all Chinese soldiers are villainous and all protesters heroic. Zhang Lin also scathingly points out that Joe's photograph, which he believes is the ultimate symbol of defiance, was also used by the Chinese military as a propaganda piece. Thus, Zhang Lin questions Joe's limited worldview and the nature of photography itself. Though "a picture is worth a thousand words," an image's impact and message depend on the viewer.
"You took his hospitality and his gifts and his friendship and profited from them. When it was your turn you, like, failed him. He wanted your help and you didn’t even return his phone calls. He is angry and disappointed. He said you’re neither East nor West, which is, it’s like a pretty bad insult."
At Joe's gallery show, Zhang Wei angrily criticizes Joe for his one-sided relationship with Zhang Lin. Though Joe considers himself an advocate for justice and a voice for the oppressed, he ignored his friend, who was actively standing up to authoritarianism. Joe took not only took advantage of Zhang Lin's friendship but also took Zhang Lin's image and story, manipulating the Tank Man narrative to suit Joe's values and worldview. When Zhang Wei calls Joe "neither East nor West," he means that Joe selfishly uses whatever cultural values best suit his own interests without loyalty to either China or America. Zhang Lin protests and criticizes China to improve his nation, whereas Joe does not even try to resist his publisher's censorship. Ultimately, Joe's work doesn't improve American or Chinese society; it simply makes him money.
