A heroic man and an eminent snow mountain

Photos

A heroic man and an eminent snow mountain

see larger image

uploaded by CDpanda

• 

  uploaded by CDpanda | add comment

• 

  uploaded by CDpanda | add comment

• 

  uploaded by CDpanda | add comment

• 

  uploaded by CDpanda | add comment

On January 11, I was on my tour to the Xiling Snow Mountain, a scenic resort located in the west of Chengdu in southwestern China, which is called "Oriental Alps" by some people. There I heard a moving story which left my heart never as calm as before. That morning on my way to the ski resort, I saw hundreds of local people attending a funeral. So I had to stop and follow the crowds as the street was stuffed with mourners. Curiously, I asked a stranger about the funeral. When he knew I am from Singapore, he couldn't wait to tell me what had happened at the foot of the mountain. It was a traffic policeman's funeral. As a matter of fact, he did not know him, but he was deeply touched by what the policeman has done.

He told me the man called Tan Dong, a traffic policeman who is in charge of directing traffic along the road to the mountain. Six days ago, Tan died of myocarditis. But several days before his death, he rescued a driver who drove his car into river. That cold late night, the chilly water temperature is at -10℃. When the driver was found by Tan, he had been dashed out for more than 200 meters, he could not grasp anything but the weeds on the river bank to avoid being swept away by the turbulent current, not even to move himself. Despite of the freezing water, Tan jumped into the river without hesitation, and swam to the driver as fast as he could. The driver was saved. As a result, Tan caught a bad cold because of the low temperature, but he insisted on working for seven days, till his death.

While I was still immersed in the moving story, another came to tell me that he was also once rescued by Tan. Two years ago, his car drove off the cliff and was trapped at the bottom of the valley. Thanks to god, Tan was the first person who got to the accident location. Tan climbed down the cliff which was nearly 100 meters high. After treating him with simple first aid, Tan carried the wounded out of the valley together with the people who arrived later. I have been to the very cliff. It is very high and I feel faint even when I took a look at the bottom. I couldn't imagine how Tan make the way to the bottom by himself, but he did, and saved one life. At that moment, he seemed like an angel.

Tan is said to be a gentle man with strong mind, and always be ready to help others. If he found drivers' license shells were broken, he would change new ones for them for free. The local people said Tan can give them a feeling of relief like that from relatives. Because of the bad weather on the mountain, the road is usually covered with snow. Each day, Tan left home earlier than others to sweep the snows.

In the farewell ceremony, I saw Tan's wife and daughter, who were in front of the crowds. They couldn't say anything but crying. People told me Tan is a good husband and father. Each night when Tan was out for work, he always had a conversation with his wife on the phone at 21 o'clock. Tan and his daughter also got along very well, they are like friends. Till now, his wife still desperately blames her husband why he did not choose to go to the hospital and take some rest. It is true that reality is usually cruel than expected. Why god gave an unfortunate destiny to such a good man?

In the funeral, I heard so many people express their appreciation and sorrow to Tan, but now they had no opportunities to say thanks to him. Just like what they said, "Tan will live in our heart." Indeed, Tan is a good policeman and will be remembered by them forever. 

After leaving the funeral, I continued my way with an unexplainable mood. To be frank, I was deeply touched by the story. When I reached the peak of the mountain, I saw beautiful sceneries which reminded me of the great policeman. Right now, he did not have to keep busy with his work everyday and was avail himself to take a rest peacefully. For me, it was a meaningful trip, not only because of the beautiful saint snow mountain but also because of the respectable traffic police who is as peaceful as the mountain. Farewell, Oriental Alps, I will come back again. Goodbye, Tan Dong, I will also return to present a bunch of beautiful flowers to you. Though I got a small portion of Tan's story due to the limit of time, I could not wait to share it with my friends in Singapore.