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Zoey Zhang

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”.
Chen Si, 56, patrols the Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu province in eastern China.
Chen engages in conversations with people lingering or wandering aimlessly on the bridge, to prevent them from jumping.
He has also pulled people back from the edge and assisted in rescuing those who have already jumped into the river.

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.

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 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.
If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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Dedicated volunteer patrols bridge in China 10 times a day, reads body language of walkers, then intervenes


A suicide prevention volunteer has saved the lives of hundreds of people over the past two decades by dissuading them from jumping off a particular bridge in China.
