Everyone needs heroes - people who can accomplish the impossible. The ancient Greeks had Heracles and modern Americans have Superman.
Now Guangzhou has a hero of its own - Rollerman - a foreigner on roller skates who has taken to challenging military vehicles that violate traffic rules in the city centre.
In photos posted on the internet by Guangzhou residents, Rollerman looks to be in his 30s. Wearing a red T-shirt, black shorts and sunglasses, he stands in the middle of an intersection, right in front of a grey seven-seat van with military plates. His right hand points to a traffic sign indicating that the van is going the wrong way.
Witnesses told local newspapers Rollerman asked the military van not to enter the lane - in Chinese, 'zhe li bu zhun zou, bu ke yi de' (it's not allowed to go this way, no way).
Some who live nearby said they had seen Rollerman appear at the same spot frequently in the past year and stop military vehicles from violating traffic rules. They would see him during weekday rush hours and on holidays, standing at the spot for at least 10 minutes while paying attention to transgressions that traffic police ignored.
His actions have won praise from tens of thousands of Guangzhou residents. One online posting says Rollerman is a hero for doing what Chinese would not dare to do. Others say it is a shame that only a foreigner is willing to help correct poor behaviour on the mainland.
It is no surprise that Rollerman has been hailed for merely standing in front of a military vehicle. Most mainlanders, and foreigners who know a little about the mainland's political power structure, know how bold he is. Among the social strata, the military is arguably at the top of the privilege pyramid.