Project Petaling Street Blog: The Lone Rebel

An unforgettable image.

An ordinary man, carrying two bags that appear to be his shopping, courageously stepping in front of a column of tanks. The tank at the vanguard steers to go around him. The man defiantly scurries to block the advance. The tank steers in another direction. Again, the man does the same.

The year was 1989, and hundreds of thousands of protesters had gathered at Tiannanmen Square to denounce the Chinese regime's political corruption. There was to be no happy ending. Tanks and heavily-armed troops were ordered into the square to break up the protest. Anywhere between 1000 and 7000 people were killed.

It was within this context that the anonymous lone rebel appeared, a common man who dared to stand his ground against machines of oppression. After half-an-hour of blocking the tanks, he promptly clambered onto the lead tank and had a heated conversation with its commander. We will never know for sure what words were exchanged between them, but our best guess is: "Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you!"

Ironically enough, the location where the confrontation took place was called the 'Great Avenue of Everlasting Peace'. Eventually, the stalemate was broken when concerned onlookers pulled the lone rebel down from the tank and absorbed him into the crowd. The tanks then went on their way.

To this day, no one knows for sure who he is or whether he is still alive. But it's safe to say that his image has been imprinted on the global memory, more so than Winston Churchill or Albert Einstein. When Chinese leader Jiang Zemin was asked what had happened to this symbol of Chinese freedom, he coolly replied, "I think never killed."

And perhaps that's true. His image will always be immortal.

Look closely, and you will see more than one instance of heroism in that picture. The tank commander--probably as young and confused as the protestors he was being sent to crush--disobeyed his orders and refused to mow down the lone rebel. For the crime of having a conscience, he was later court-martialed.

A reminder that the blind courage of the young can sometimes transcend the blind cynicism of their elders.