Five days after the June 15 bridge collapse that led to four vehicles falling into a river causing at least five deaths and leaving two men missing in Foshan, Guangdong Province, a story of selfless heroism emerged.
Wang Wentian and Xie Fengyun, farmers-turned migrant workers from Henan Province, happened to be passing the Jiujiang Bridge across the Xijiang River when a barge laden with sand ran into one of the bridge's piers causing the bridge to collapse right in the middle.
Instead of escaping to safety, the two Henan folks in their fifties remained on the bridge to warn unsuspecting drivers, and prevent the fast approaching vehicles from plunging into the river.
They did not tell their heroic deeds to anybody else until a local journalist accidentally heard about their actions from Wang's daughter four days later. When the local government awarded them 10,000 yuan ($1,316) each, they at first declined the offer, then donated the money to primary schools in their home towns.
"We cannot take the money. It was a normal act to save those in danger. Anybody would do the same thing," Xie said.
They are right. Many people would act the same way when faced with the prospect of seeing another person in danger. This value of life is intrinsic in human nature.
However, sadly not everyone would risk their own lives like Wang and Xie, who stood on the bridge teetering on the verge of another possible collapse.
What is more commendable is their refusal of the cash award and later their donation of the money to support education.
Considering these are two poor men who could legitimately use the money, this is a startling and refreshing insight into what people, at their core, can be really like.
The two were scrap collectors. Every day, they got up at 4 am and went home well after 10 in the evening. They were typical examples of those struggling for a meager livelihood at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.
Their behavior dwarfs anyone who sits behind the wheel of a BMW or Lexus who abuses and bullies country folks in their way, as is often seen in urban streets. There have been hundreds of media reports of such outrages, most serious of which was the humiliation and affliction of a sanitation worker by a luxury sedan driver, a private entrepreneur, reported in this column on February 14.
In today's society, kind-heartedness and sympathy for the miserable are still the dominant values in human relations. But there are indeed some phenomena contradictory to these good traditions. For instance, there have been reports of passers-by looking on apathetically while street thugs stabbed someone to death or serious injury; and that hundreds of villagers engaged in mass looting of unattended public or private properties (as in a case in Nanjing reported the day before yesterday).
China is undergoing tremendous social change. New thought, attitudes and trends are influencing everyone on all levels of the social strata.
Wang and Xie's good deed without expecting anything in return has set a brilliant example for others.
While admiring them, we should continue to tell their story to others across the country.
Some Netizens have even suggested erecting sculptures of the two farmers at the Jiujiang Bridge. But others think that's going too far. I don't think it's excessive at all. The significance of the two old folks' deeds in safeguarding our nation's traditional ethics is no less valuable than what past war heroes did in defending our nation's territory.
害羞小女生的变身之路7节课口语提升1点5分
梦想不分好坏港姐0基础5节课拿下雅思口语7分
每天掐时间定量练习1个月突破雅思阅读8点5
雅思阅读8分学员的详细备考经验
英专女生分享雅思听力满分的炼成法
从害怕到自信新手烤鸭首战突破雅思7分
六个月慢慢屠鸭路二战雅思听力获8分
雅思口语意外7分的考试感想总结
针对性突击两周突破雅思口语6分到7分的坎
用努力成就超越英语菜鸟200小时的漫漫屠鸭路
牛津大学工程系录取者思备考经验
短期强化一个月突破雅思阅读8分大关
雅思听力85分强人的雅思听力训练技巧
一分努力一分收获雅思阅读满分经验分享
克服畏惧心理完成雅思写作45分到6分蜕变
意料之外的雅思听力满分多听多背是关键
无词阅读法两月拿下雅思阅读7分
快乐女孩李佳凝踏实走好去英国的每一步
雅思阅读85分经验读懂才是硬道理
以勤补拙雅思阅读一战拿下8点5分
四节课改变阅读习惯雅思阅读65直达满分
多次屠鸭写作难破6分找到方法升至75
雅思口语考试经历充足的准备加平静心态最重要
与咖啡相伴的突击历程10节课雅思听力45奔6
勤做句型和词汇的替换练习雅思写作获7分
助我创造奇迹雅思听力阅读齐破8
学员2个月雅思平均成绩提高1分
雅思75分阅读9分经验新手到高手的转变
二战雅思75分学员方嘉欣分享备战经验
学员专访雅思7点5分留学生眼中的雅思
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