ChinaTeenager who couldn’t swim jumped to his death while rescuing a dog in Sichuan province, sparking controversy over the price of bravery.
Rescuers found the body of a 16-year-old boy in a river in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, two days after he went missing trying to save a dog, on June 22.
Witnesses said that on June 20, while the teenager was playing basketball by the river, a girl shouted “help my sister” after the pet dog fell into the water. However, others said the girl made it clear the dog was drowning before reaching out to him for help.
Although he couldn’t swim, the teenager jumped into the river and was quickly washed away. He is the only child, 1.9 meters tall, described by friends as “outgoing kind”.
On June 24, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the river where the teenager died. video: news
The tragedy sparked controversy on Chinese social media about the price of showing kindness and courage, reminiscent of the story of 14-year-old Raining, who has been known as a national hero for more than 30 years.
In 1988, Lai Ning drowned while volunteering to fight a forest fire with firefighters in Sichuan Province. He was declared a “martyr”. After the incident, the government launched a nationwide heroic campaign and Lai Ning died.
One writer said: “The textbooks we were taught as children always taught us to fight bad guys when we saw criminals. I was confused and didn’t know how to fight when I weighed less than a bag of rice.”
“Today, I told my students that you can only help others if you help yourself. In an emergency, we must act wisely, not just be brave,” said another.
Hong Han (follow South China Morning Post)