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China ‘angel’ stops 469 suicidal people jumping off bridge over 21 years
- Dedicated volunteer patrols bridge in China 10 times a day, reads body language of walkers, then intervenes
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![A volunteer in China has saved hundreds of lives over the past 21 years by stopping suicidal people from jumping off a bridge. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Bilibili](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/31/b18c7dcf-672b-4f24-a37f-d49f1f560d68_5d5145d5.jpg?itok=46SegMh8&v=1722401748)
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”.
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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.
![The bridge spans China’s longest river, the Yangtze, in the city of Nanjing. Photo: QQ.com The bridge spans China’s longest river, the Yangtze, in the city of Nanjing. Photo: QQ.com](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/31/7180163a-c681-4d78-a166-6280292060a5_9e3e4dcb.jpg)
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.
![](https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/media/wheel-on-gray.af4a55f9.gif)
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