Man leaps off bridge to rescue woman

A video showing a deliveryman jumping off a high bridge to save a drowning woman on Tuesday afternoon in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has gone viral on Chinese social media.

In the video, the man, in a black T-shirt and black pants, was seen holding a rail on Xixing Bridge, a major 12-meter-high bridge that straddles the iconic Qiantang River, and making the briefest preparation before throwing himself into the river.

He then swam toward the woman as soon as he emerged from the water, before holding her and taking her to the nearest pier for safety.

A few moments later, an emergency lifeboat, called by onlookers, was seen driving furiously toward the two and picking them up.

"I was on my way to deliver an order, riding my e-bike across the bridge," said 31-year-old Peng Qinglin, the deliveryman, who had received his first order of the day when he heard the call for help.

Without much hesitation, Peng took off his glasses and shoes, laid down his phone, and jumped into the river.

"Of course I was a little frightened, because the bridge looked so high," he admitted, smiling, in a video interview widely circulated online.

"But she was being swallowed by the river," Peng said.

Hailing from Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, Peng has worked as a deliveryman in Hangzhou for over a year, usually starting at 10 am every day and finishing in the early morning of the next day.

"The first words Peng uttered after he and the drowning woman were put safely on land were in fact'my delivery is going to be late'," recalled an unnamed police officer who helped with the rescue effort.

Fortunately, his client was very understanding and forgiving, even if the order was eventually delivered more than 10 minutes later than the required time.

"What a hero!" wrote one netizen under the video posted on a WeChat public account. It garnered some 40,000 likes in a couple of hours.

Despite first insisting he was fine, Peng was taken to the hospital on Wednesday morning and was found to have suffered from a compression fracture in the spine.

While no surgery is needed, Peng has to be hospitalized for seven to 10 days.

"The height and the way in which he jumped into the river means he endured a huge impact from the water," explained Zhang Wei, president of Zhejiang Xinhua Hospital, where Peng is receiving treatment.

For his bravery and selflessness, Hangzhou police authorities awarded Peng the title of "Good Samaritan" and a cash prize of 30,000 yuan ($4,200).Meanwhile, the delivery company that Peng works for has also presented him with a cash award of 50,000 yuan as well as the opportunity to study in college for free.

"I'm just a delivery guy like many others," Peng said. "If I meet someone in danger, I will definitely extend a helping hand."

mazhenhuan@chinadaily.com.cn