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•Stephen Ellison, 61, consul-general in Chongqing, was walking by a river in a nearby village when the woman, 24, slipped on rocks into the deep water.
•The consul general, who takes part in triathlons, turned the student over, lifted her face clear of the water and swam backwards to the steep sided riverbank.
A British diplomat has been hailed as a hero after diving into a river in China to save a drowning student.
Stephen
Ellison, 61, consul-general in Chongqing, was walking by a river in a
nearby village when the woman, 24, slipped on rocks into the deep water.
Ellison, 61, consul-general in Chongqing, was walking by a river in a
nearby village when the woman, 24, slipped on rocks into the deep water.
Footage
filmed by onlookers showed her struggle in the fast-moving current,
disappear under a footbridge and emerge face down, apparently
unconscious.
filmed by onlookers showed her struggle in the fast-moving current,
disappear under a footbridge and emerge face down, apparently
unconscious.
Mr Ellison took off his shoes and dived in to save her. She has not been named.
The
consul general, who takes part in triathlons, turned the student over,
lifted her face clear of the water and swam backwards to the steep sided
riverbank.
consul general, who takes part in triathlons, turned the student over,
lifted her face clear of the water and swam backwards to the steep sided
riverbank.
"She
was unconscious, she was not breathing and for a short time we feared
the worst. But as we got back to the side, she started breathing again,"
he told the BBC of the rescue, which took place on Saturday morning.
was unconscious, she was not breathing and for a short time we feared
the worst. But as we got back to the side, she started breathing again,"
he told the BBC of the rescue, which took place on Saturday morning.
The
diplomat held onto a lifebuoy attached to a rope that had been thrown
towards him by passers-by, who then pulled the woman to safety. Mr
Ellison swam round to shallower rocks and climbed out. He was given dry
clothes and warm drinks by grateful villagers.
diplomat held onto a lifebuoy attached to a rope that had been thrown
towards him by passers-by, who then pulled the woman to safety. Mr
Ellison swam round to shallower rocks and climbed out. He was given dry
clothes and warm drinks by grateful villagers.
He said the student, who is from Wuhan and attends Chongqing University, was shaken by the experience and recovering slowly.
But she was extremely grateful and has invited him to dinner with her family next weekend.
Mr
Ellison, originally from Newcastle, is head of the British mission in
Chongqing – where his role is primarily to support bilateral trade links
between Britain and China.
Ellison, originally from Newcastle, is head of the British mission in
Chongqing – where his role is primarily to support bilateral trade links
between Britain and China.
Relations
between China and the UK have been rapidly deteriorating over the past
year, amid rows over Hong Kong, tech firm Huawei and the coronavirus.
between China and the UK have been rapidly deteriorating over the past
year, amid rows over Hong Kong, tech firm Huawei and the coronavirus.
Yet
there's full praise online for Mr Ellison, with Chinese social media
users calling him a "hero", a "role model" and someone who is "worthy of
admiration" for saving the student, who media said fell "while taking
pictures". He's being described as "uncle", a term almost never used to
describe foreigners.
there's full praise online for Mr Ellison, with Chinese social media
users calling him a "hero", a "role model" and someone who is "worthy of
admiration" for saving the student, who media said fell "while taking
pictures". He's being described as "uncle", a term almost never used to
describe foreigners.
"You'd call such a person a knight in the UK; in China we call him a hero," one user on the popular Sina Weibo site says.
"For such a big official to go into the water himself to save someone… you've got to like this," another wrote.
Footage
of the incident filmed on locals' phones has racked up more than a
million views after it was posted online by popular media outlets Global
Times and Pear Video. It's also got locals doing a bit of
self-reflection on how they view foreigners.
of the incident filmed on locals' phones has racked up more than a
million views after it was posted online by popular media outlets Global
Times and Pear Video. It's also got locals doing a bit of
self-reflection on how they view foreigners.
Despite
recent negative feeling towards Britain, many Chinese say they're
"shocked" that "so many [local] people were watching, and not a single
person rushed to the water themselves" to help.
recent negative feeling towards Britain, many Chinese say they're
"shocked" that "so many [local] people were watching, and not a single
person rushed to the water themselves" to help.
Such
scenes are common in China – crowds of people standing watching a
developing incident. Many fear that rushing to involve themselves could
lead to their being implicated.
scenes are common in China – crowds of people standing watching a
developing incident. Many fear that rushing to involve themselves could
lead to their being implicated.
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