Foreign Tourist Saves Boy

A Spanish tourist saved a young Chinese boy from drowning(溺水) in a river in Hunan, winning praise from Chinese netizens.

Marta Santana, 31, was visiting Fenghuang Ancient Town with friends on August 7. Around noon, she noticed a boy, who had been playing near the Tuojiang River, suddenly trip and fall into the water.

"The water carried the boy away. I realized he couldn't swim, and the water had already covered his face," she said.

Santana used to be a swimming coach and had lifeguard skills. Without hesitation (犹豫), she jumped into the river. "I didn’t think twice— just jumped into the river and grabbed him," she explained.

The boy's grandfather also jumped into the water to help. Together, they brought the boy safely to shore. Santana said the river was deep and had a strong current(水流) there— especially dangerous for a child.

Videos of the rescue were widely shared online. Chinese netizens praised her bravery. Santana said she was just glad the boy was safe and would help again if needed. She also thanked the grandfather for his help.

Later, the topic "a foreign visitor bravely saved a boy in Fenghuang Ancient Town" became popular on Sina Weibo, with over 1.8 million views. People left comments such as "Kindness has no borders(国界)".

This is Santana's first trip to China. She arrived in late July and has already visited Beijing, Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, and Xiangxi. She said the trip had been wonderful thanks to the hospitality(好客) of Chinese people.

Local tourism official Yang Xiaoli said, "Santana's selfless act is a heroic deed. Such brave and kind behavior is truly admirable."