Almost everyone in Harbin knows Liu Tianxiao, a 60-year-old social crusader whose fans call him the city's "deputy mayor".

The retired teacher hit the headlines in December last year when he threw a half-empty plastic bottle of water at Yang Hui, deputy director of Harbin's bureau of commodity prices, during a government hearing to discuss a proposed water rate hike.

"I had no choice but to throw something, otherwise they wouldn't have let me speak," said Liu, one of 12 "resident representatives" invited to the hearing in the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

"I couldn't understand why none of the other (representatives) opposed the price hike, especially as 99 percent of Harbin citizens I had talked to all objected," he said.

He used his speech to protest and accuse Harbin Water Company of providing a poor service (Yang later said Liu was given about 9 minutes to talk instead of the usual 5 minutes). He also accused his fellow representatives of being government workers. However, officials agreed to the price increase.

Liu's principal is based on the belief that authorities should "learn to put people first by accepting, respecting and protecting rights".

In 2006, he tried to take Shi Zhongxin, then-mayor of Harbin, to court for the alleged misconduct of his government. The city's courts refused to file his case.

"I don't really care about the result when I defend people's rights, I just want my voice heard. It's what everyone should do," said Liu.

Most people turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, especially by officials with governments or State-owned enterprises, he complained, adding that people fear it is not possible to take on "powerful giants".

In 2004, Liu discovered Agricultural Bank of China was charging customers 10 yuan (US$1.50) a year for using natural gas top-up cards, even though the gas provider was already paying for the service.

"Ten yuan is nothing but Harbin has around 1 million households, which means the bank was getting an extra 10 million yuan every year. It's not right," said Liu.

He began to collect evidence and, just before court proceedings began, Agricultural Bank of China decided to refund the fee and has since scrapped the charge.

"If I didn't stand up against the (rights violation), who knows how long the bank would've charged us," he said. "It's a citizen's obligation."

Many Harbin residents have hailed Liu's efforts - "He speaks for us and truly represents us," one city bus driver told China Daily - while others believe he is simply out to gain publicity.

Liu said China needs more whistleblowers. "Our purpose is to see China become a better country. Authorities should learn to admit mistakes and provide solutions instead of hiding the truth," he said.

(China Daily October 28, 2010)