As a result of domestic strife, a 20-something woman in a residential compound in the Daoli district of Harbin, Heilongjiang province locked out her boyfriend, stepped onto the balcony of their 5th story apartment, and threatened to jump. She crawled out of the window and onto a wire clothesline, where she remained, distraught, according to a witness on the ground, as reported by Xinhua.
Neighbors and passersby called up to her and begged her not to jump, because she was young and had her whole life ahead of her. They said, “Think about your parents!” Her boyfriend went downstairs and knocked on his neighbor’s door, who let him in. Directly on the floor below her, he stuck his body out of the balcony window and tried to get her to calm down.
And then, the clothesline teetered, according to the eyewitness. She fell.
He caught her.
Several people helped hold the woman as she dangled in the air. According to witnesses, she pawed at her helpers, wanting to fall. Shortly after, firefighters arrived. They climbed to the third-story balcony and helped push her to safety.
There’s more to this story. The neighbor, Liang Shuang, played an integral part in the rescue. He grabbed the boyfriend’s belt and also reached out for the falling girl. His wife and daughter, home at the time, also helped.
It was serendipitous that they would all even be there to begin with. His parents, who had been visiting from Yichun, Heilongjiang, wanted to return home the day before, but Liang Shuang convinced them to stay an extra day.
A journalist dialed up Liang Shuang’s father, Liang Xibin, 51, who, when informed of what his son did, said, “That’s nothing. How can one not help someone in need? Can’t possibly just stand and watch. I think anyone in this situation would have reached out a hand and helped.”
For his efforts, netizens have dubbed Mr. Liang “China’s Good Neighbor.”
We’ve seen suicides caught on tape in Harbin before — leaping from a residential building, specifically, after a break-up. This rescue was a lot better.
(H/T Alicia)
Of course what usually happens in China is that the girl is pushed out of the apartment. Or the toddler is deliberately run over by multiple vehicles. You are a cruel and heartless people.