Changzhou City in Jiangsu now has in it a true a hero in the form of a senior man who saved not one, but three lives, from a flooding local river, earning him more than a few thumbs up and, as it turns out, recognition from the authorities plus a ¥3,000 reward.
On the afternoon of yesterday, 20 July, Liu Yanhui, Secretary-General of the Changzhou Economic Development Zone (CEDZ) Charity Foundation; and Shen Bin, an instructor with CEDZ’s Yaoguan Police Station, with others, were in the presence the City’s new hero, Yang Huaming.
They had come to Yang’s home in Fangzhuang Residential Community within CEDZ to award him as a Volunteer for Righteousness. And present him with that red envelope, all in recognition of his efforts on 11 July.
On that day, at 18:30, a Ms. Wang, who lives in Songjian Lake Homeland, took her two children to Wanyan Riverside Park to enjoy the-then cool air. The waters may look shallow, but their actual depth exceeds 2.5 metres, and due to previous rain, water levels had risen considerably.
That left the rocks on the river bank slippery, causing Wang’s 14-year old eldest to accidentally fall into the river. In desperation, Wang stretched out to pull him back, but fell herself into the water with her 9-month old son in her arms. Wang cannot swim, and could only support her youngest with her hands while struggling.
Our hero then enters the narrative in the nick of time. Yang, who was walking in the park, rushed to the river immediately after hearing a cry for help. Immediately removing his shoes and trousers, Yang jumped into the water, grabbing the baby to bring him ashore first.
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“The older child may be able to swim, but he choked on water when he fell and became frightened”, Yang later said, recalling how he had led the elder son to swim ashore and climb out of the waters himself, whereupon the boy shouted, “Help my mother!”.
Wang had by then already drifted out into the middle of the river, exhausted, the waters gradually overcoming her. Fortunately, she had read up previously as to drowning prevention; she kept calm and held her breath in order not to choke on water.
By a miracle Yang then got to her in time, but it took incredible effort to get Wang ashore. When it was all over, the trio’s rescue had taken nearly nearly 10 minutes, reports the Yangtze Evening News.
Looking back on the ordeal, Yang said that although he can swim, he had not done so for many years. Thinking about the depth of the water and whether he was in danger was when the panic hit him. “Now that I think about it, I am a little scared. It can be said that I exerted all my strength, and in the end even I couldn’t climb up to the shore by myself.”
Yang’s wife later said, “Hearing that he saved three people, my first reaction was that he did the right thing”.
