A neighbour risked his life climbing barefoot and without protection to a fourth-floor window of an apartment building to save a five-year-old girl who got trapped there
The incident began when the toddler had wandered out onto the window while playing at home in Mianzhu, in south-western China’s Sichuan Province on the afternoon of 24th July.
Although she was being supervised by her older sister and grandmother, the child had somehow managed to close the window behind her and break the lock, leaving her trapped on the outer ledge.
Passersby on the street noticed the girl holding onto the guardrail with both hands and called for help.
Word reached the family’s neighbour, Tang Changjiang, who lived on the sixth floor of the same building and had experience working at heights.
With the high temperatures making it harder for the girl to hold onto the hot metal railing, the situation grew more dire by the second.
Tang leapt into action and began climbing the outside of the building with his bare feet and hands to reach the girl sooner.
Meanwhile, other neighbours gathered on the street below and spread out any sheets and quilts they could find to grab the girl in case she slipped and fell.
Nail-biting footage shows Tang, dressed in black clothes, inching along the metal bars of a window right next to the girl, then finally reaching her.
Then, he grabs the five-year-old securely and carefully lifts her back inside the apartment.
Tang received countless praises after the video of his heroic rescue was shared on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
One user titled ‘indifferent’ commented: “He really risked his life to save someone else, he should be rewarded for his bravery.”
And user ‘Mo Yi’s Garden Notes’ wrote: “This hero is incredibly agile and fearless.”
But the 53-year-old man insisted he just did a very ordinary thing.
Speaking to local media, Tang said: “I didn’t know about this until my wife sent me a video. At that time, the little girl was in danger.
“Her feet were on the edge of the window sill, and her hands were holding on to the window frame.
“It’s just a little effort, it’s not a big deal.”
