Society

Vigil for child injured in 10-story drop

By Yang Yijun (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-07-05 07:42

Shanghai - More than 200 people staged a candle-lit vigil on Monday to pray for a child fighting for her life after she fell from a 10th-floor apartment.

Zhang Fangyu, 2, would have plummeted to her death had it not been for the quick reactions of Wu Juping, who was passing at the time and managed to catch the child before she hit the ground.

Residents in Hangzhou gather to light candles and pray for the recovery of Zhang Fangyu and her rescuer, Wu Juping. [China Daily]

However, the toddler - nicknamed Niu Niu by her parents - is still in a critical condition. She remains unconscious and is unable to breathe by herself, according to medics at Zhejiang Children's Hopital.

"The child's injuries are severe," Zhang Chengmei, director of the hospital's intensive care unit, told Qianjiang Evening News. "Her major organs, including stomach, intestine, lungs and brain, are all damaged. She also has fractures to her left leg and arm."

Well-wishers with yellow ribbons tied around their wrists lit about 200 candles for Zhang and 31-year-old Wu, who suffered a broken arm, outside the apartment block where the incident occurred on Saturday in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

"Residents in our neighborhood are paying close attention to the incident. We hope Wu and the girl can get well soon," said Lin Xiaoyun, head of the neighborhood committee, who promoted the event through an online post.

"It's a miracle that Wu managed to catch the girl. We hope the miracle can continue and the girl will recover," he added.

Wu, who has a 7-month-old son, has been dubbed the "most beautiful mother" in the Chinese media for her heroics. Yet, she insists she acted only "out of a mother's instinct".

"I did it without much thought," she told Qianjiang Evening News. "At that moment, I thought I could hold her."

E-commerce giant Alibaba, where Wu works in customer service, has announced it will give her a 200,000-yuan ($31,000) award, as well as paid holiday leave to allow her time to recover from her injury.

Fuyang Traditional Chinese Medicine Bone Fracture Hospital, where Wu is recovering, will also waive her 50,000-yuan treatment fee.

Wu's younger sister, Wu Liping, said in an online post on 19lou.com, a popular BBS in Zhejiang, that she was not surprised by her sister's brave act. "I always knew she was strong-willed and brave," she wrote.

She recalled that when Wu Juping was younger, she fractured her foot while trying to pass a long-distance running test and did not even realize until she finished the race.

Ji Hong, a teacher at Jiaxing Vocational and Technical College, where the heroine graduated in 2000, told Jiaxing Daily: "We're not surprised at all after hearing about her actions. We're very proud that our college cultivated a hero like her."

Wu is also flavor of the month among netizens. "I was so moved when I read the story," wrote "Xiatie Liangkuai" on her Sohu micro blog.

"As a mother myself, Wu is a role model

for me," she wrote.