In the spring of 1989, a train heaving with students arrived in Beijing. Its carriages were so packed that occupants had crammed themselves into luggage compartments and under seats. Once in the Chinese capital, they spilled on to the city’s streets to take part in pro-democracy protests sparked by the death of a popular reformist leader. One of the passengers was a 23-year-old named Li Lu.

Li, a slender, bespectacled student from Nanjing University, had boarded without a ticket. He was trying to blend into the throng of people exiting the station in Beijing when a man in uniform stopped him. Li feared the worst, but the ticket collector merely waved him through, signalling his support for the protesters by making a V sign with his hand and smiling. Grateful for the reprieve, Li followed the crowd towards Tiananmen Square.

Financial Times