UK diplomat who rescued drowning woman wins praise for his heroism

Stephen Ellison, the newly appointed British consul general in Chongqing, made a public appearance in China after a video of him rescuing a drowning local woman on Saturday went viral on Chinese social media recently.

"Thank you, Mr Ellison. Kindness and bravery can go beyond borders," read one comment on Sina Weibo.

"You are a real gentleman, and I hope you have a great time in China," said another.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the daily briefing on Tuesday that he had read a media report about the British diplomat.

"It is a good deed, and his bravery deserves praise," he said. "I will give him a big like."

Video footage shared by the consulate shows that a young woman had slipped while taking a photo on a rock beside the river in Zhongshan Old Town, a famous scenic spot in Chongqing. Witnesses told local media that several men immediately rushed to the bank and tried to pull her out of the water, but the woman, apparently unable to swim, struggled in panic and was carried away under the foot bridge by the fast moving current. She soon emerged face down in the water.

Amid the screams of the crowd, a white-haired foreign man took his shoes off quickly and jumped into the water. With the help of the other people on the bank, he swam her to safety.

Britain's mission in Chongqing confirmed on Monday that the foreign man in the video was Ellison, a 61-year-old diplomat who arrived in the city in October. He just started his official term on Monday.

Having kept busy working for over a month during his transition period, he decided to visit the old town during the weekend of the incident. He was walking near the river on Saturday when he heard people screaming. He rushed to the scene and saw a young woman who appeared to be drowning.

"I just jumped in, I guess. I saw she was struggling, and she disappeared under the water. I guess she was drowning," Ellison said during a media interview.

"So it is just instinct that you get in and help, hope you can do something."

Thanks to the timely rescue, the woman recovered her consciousness and started breathing again. She is now in good condition, according to the consulate.

"We are all people and we are all human. I feel a little bit lucky that I was there able to help her," he said.

The woman thanked him in person that day and invited him to dinner with her family this week.

"I am looking forward to this dinner and seeing her again," he said.

After the accident, the local villagers brought the soaked foreigner home and offered him dry clothes and hot coffee.

They also sent him a 6-meter-long painting of the ancient town as a gift.

Ellison has lived in China for a total of about nine years, which included a stint as minister counselor and director of the Department for International Trade at the British embassy in Beijing from 2014 to 2018.

He also competed in the Beijing International Triathlon last year and won the event in his age group.