Winton Dong dht0620@126.com STEPHEN ELLISON, the 61-year-old newly appointed British Consul General to Chongqing, had never thought that he would make his first public appearance in China in such a special and unexpected way. A video of him rescuing a drowning Chinese girl Nov. 14 recently went viral on Chinese social media. The video content filmed by onlookers showed that a Chinese girl slipped into the river in Zhongshan Old Town, a famous sightseeing place in Chongqing Municipality, while taking photos on the river bank. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the daily news conference Tuesday that he had learned about the good deed of the British diplomat. “I would give him a big thumbs-up,” the spokesman said. When being interviewed, China’s ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming also said that Ellison’s name would be remembered not only in Chongqing, but also throughout China. In spite of appreciation from all walks of life and being hailed as a hero by Chinese netizens, Ellison himself is gentlemanly and very modest. “Several Chinese men were preparing for the rescue at the crucial moment. It was an instinct for me to save a life. I was just lucky to be the first one to take off my shoes quickly and jump into the river. I felt happy that I can offer some help,” the British gentleman said. In my point of view, amid the escalating tensions in the past months between China and some Western countries including the United States and Britain, the Samaritan action of influential people such as Ellison will surely put some positive energy into otherwise lousy bilateral relations and serve as a lubricant to improve mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges in the future. Ellison’s explanation reminds me that keeping active and fit is a lifelong career for all people. As a versatile diplomat, he is good at music, fine arts, swimming, riding and many other sporting activities. According to media reports, Ellison once crossed over the Himalaya Mountains on a motorcycle. Moreover, while serving as a minister counselor at the British Embassy in Beijing, he competed in the Beijing International Triathlon for three consecutive years and won the championship last year in his age group. According to available information, the Zhongshan River is up to 14 meters deep. Thus, good physical health was a precondition for Ellison to succeed in the swimming rescue. But good physical condition was not enough for Ellison to finish the rescue wonderfully. From the video footage, we can see that he knows something about medical emergency treatment. After falling into the river, the Chinese girl, apparently unable to swim, struggled in panic and was carried away by the fast-moving current. She soon lost consciousness and emerged face down in the water. When Ellison swam near her, instead of pulling her back to the bank, he at first turned her over and cleared the water from her face, so as to avoid further suffocation or drowning. Chinese people may also be surprised to find out that Mr. Ellison is already over 60. As we all know, the retirement age for men in China is 60. Nevertheless, 61-year-old Ellison is still active and energetic at his new post. With the quickening of China’s aging process in the coming years, the Chinese Government may seriously consider adjusting the retirement ages for both males and females. Common workers can retire earlier, but those skilled technicians, professionals and people with special expertise should be allowed to work longer so as to better serve the country’s economic and social development. (The author is the editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Daily with a Ph.D. from the Journalism and Communication School of Wuhan University.) | 