Chen engages in conversations with people lingering or wandering aimlessly on the bridge, to prevent them from jumping.
Chen Si, 56, patrols the Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu province in eastern China.
A suicide prevention volunteer who has stopped 469 people from jumping off a bridge in China over the past 21 years has been dubbed the “Angel of Nanjing”.
He has also pulled people back from the edge and assisted in rescuing those who have already jumped into the river.
The bridge spans China’s longest river, the Yangtze, in the city of Nanjing. Photo: QQ.com
Wearing a red volunteer’s uniform with “cherish life every day” written in Chinese on it, he patrols the bridge 10 times a day and has done so for more than two decades.
In 2000, Chen saw a desperate-looking girl wandering on the bridge.
Worried she might be in trouble, he approached her and began chatting to try and lift her spirits. He bought her water, food and a ticket home because she had no money.
Chen said it was the first time he had considered someone would commit suicide by jumping off the bridge.
“I realised that these people could be saved,” he said.
Since September 2003, Chen has saved hundreds more people, according to New Weekly.
Chen patrols the bridge 10 times a day and has learned how to spot people in trouble. Photo: QQ.com
He said he has learned to ascertain whether someone is feeling down by their posture.
“People with an extreme internal struggle don’t have relaxed body movements, their bodies look heavy,” said Chen.
“I want to tell these people that as long as you have breath, you have hope to start your life over,” he told New Weekly.
Once, he saved a woman who was intending to jump because her husband cheated on her.
He told her: “If the sky falls, I’ll be your big brother and hold it up for you.”
Another time, he dissuaded a girl from jumping who had been admitted to university but could not afford tuition, raising more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) with friends to help her.
“Over the years, I’ve realised that simply pulling someone back from the brink on the bridge doesn’t completely lift them out of their predicament,” he said.
Chen’s work over the past two decades has been the subject of a television documentary. Photo: QQ.com
Chen has used his savings to rent rooms for people he has persuaded not to jump, and personally covered all other expenses.
His heart-warming story has also been turned into a documentary called Angel of Nanjing.
“I saw him on the news more than 20 years ago. I didn’t think he would still be saving lives,” one online observer wrote on Weibo.
“Giving those in despair hope and a chance to live, Chen is truly an angel,” said another.
OrdinaryCactusFlower on August 2nd, 2024 at 18:23 UTC »
I read this as “Chris Angel” and imagined him just levitating everyone who jumped back up onto the bridge
roy1979 on August 2nd, 2024 at 18:18 UTC »
May he have a long and healthy life to continue his heartwarming work. People like these keep faith in humanity kindling.
QueenOfAncientPersia on August 2nd, 2024 at 16:43 UTC »
One thing I appreciate about this story is when this wonderful man says, "Over the years, I’ve realised that simply pulling someone back from the brink on the bridge doesn’t completely lift them out of their predicament." And the article proceeds to detail ways that he and his friends have materially helped people with the difficult, particular circumstances that led to these people's despair (like renting a room for them to stay in, or raising tuition).
I feel this is too often overlooked in discussions of "suicide prevention" or "mental health issues". Yes, it's necessary to be alive in order for one's life to possibly improve. But too often we treat that first step -- intervening at the moment of suicide -- as "saving someone", as fixing the problem (that they were about to die), and ignore the rest of the proverbial iceberg that led them there. This is of course far harder than talking someone down from a ledge, but to dismiss the reasons why that person's there can be patronizing and alienating, and reinforce feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness.
Yes, this man absolutely deserves praise for walking this bridge and taking the time to care. But what I find especially commendable is his commitment to the bigger picture -- to helping these people's lives improve, not just continue for another day. That, in my opinion, is truly angelic.