xiang xinyuan 16 drowning boy-A teen in Guiyang, China, reportedly saved a young boy from drowning based on what she had seen on television. Xiang Xinyuan says she saw the boy struggling for his life in a freezing river so she jumped in and used techniques from the programs she had watched to rescue him. The influence of watching television was behind the scenes of a dramatic river rescue this week. Schoolgirl Xiang Xinyuan didn't give it a second thought when she saw a boy struggling for his life in a freezing river. She jumped straight in and, based only on what she had seen on TV programs, succeeded in saving the 11-year-old boy from drowning. "I just knew he needed help ,and I did what I should do," said Xiang, 16, a high school student from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in the southwest of China. "The water was freezing, but it also helped me calm down and try to remember some life-saving techniques from TV programs I watched." Later, the fortunate boy said he left home to play by the river because he was bored watching television.
Xiang had been taking a walk with a male friend along the Nanming River in freezing temperatures on Tuesday night when she spotted the boy waving desperately and shouting for help. Knowing her friends could not swim, she rushed to the riverbank and dived into the water.
She managed to stop the boy panicking, then lifted his head and swam back. He weighed 40 kilograms.
"When approaching the bank, I felt my body start to sink as I hadn't had time to undress first," Xiang recalled. But passers-by used a tree branch to pull them in. "The girl was really something. She did what even some men can't do," said a local resident surnamed Ma.
But Xiang's teacher wasn't surprised by her action. "I felt pride but not surprise when I heard about it, because I know she's a great girl," said Tu Yuanyuan, on a micro blog. Officials from Xiang's neighborhood are considering an award for Xiang but she said she cared less about fame.
The rescued boy, Xianxian, was quoted by the local Guiyang Evening News as saying that he went out to play by the river because the TV programs were boring. "I really appreciate what the brave girl has done for my son. Without her help, my son would have died," said the boy's father, He Yingxin, 44.
As migrant workers, he said he and his wife worked around the clock to make money, and had little time to look after their son, who was often left alone at home watching TV.
Xiang had been taking a walk with a male friend along the Nanming River in freezing temperatures on Tuesday night when she spotted the boy waving desperately and shouting for help. Knowing her friends could not swim, she rushed to the riverbank and dived into the water.
She managed to stop the boy panicking, then lifted his head and swam back. He weighed 40 kilograms.
"When approaching the bank, I felt my body start to sink as I hadn't had time to undress first," Xiang recalled. But passers-by used a tree branch to pull them in. "The girl was really something. She did what even some men can't do," said a local resident surnamed Ma.
But Xiang's teacher wasn't surprised by her action. "I felt pride but not surprise when I heard about it, because I know she's a great girl," said Tu Yuanyuan, on a micro blog. Officials from Xiang's neighborhood are considering an award for Xiang but she said she cared less about fame.
The rescued boy, Xianxian, was quoted by the local Guiyang Evening News as saying that he went out to play by the river because the TV programs were boring. "I really appreciate what the brave girl has done for my son. Without her help, my son would have died," said the boy's father, He Yingxin, 44.
As migrant workers, he said he and his wife worked around the clock to make money, and had little time to look after their son, who was often left alone at home watching TV.
