New | Occupy Central "tank" carries message of peace, says creator

Despite occasional rumours of a crackdown at the sites of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the appearance of a "tank" at the main Admiralty camp has barely raised a stir.

That’s because this tank is a symbol of peace, the work of an artist and survivor of Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

It’s made up of a tent, with a green-and-pink striped umbrella for a turret and over 400 water bottles for its gun and tracks. It took Miso Zo, a New York-based artist and student protester in Beijing in 1989, about three days to create. (Miso Zo is a pseudonym, as the artist did not wish to provide his real name.)

"I was a student at Tiananmen Square and a tank came to us," said Zo, 59. "Now Hong Kong students are doing it again here, reminding me of history. The tank is a reminder of the past."

Zo said that he was afraid that the same Tiananmen-style crackdown would happen again in Hong Kong so he offered this symbol of peace as his wish for a calm and peaceful solution. A bouquet of white lily and yellow chrysanthemum has been placed in the tank’s gun.

"The tank also means the students here," he said. "We are also a tank. We can fight, but it’s a peaceful fight."