In the afternoon of August 28, members of ECUST Langtuteng Outdoor Club and ECUST School of Business MBA Suzhou and Kunshan alumni met an old man who was drowning during the Happy Run by Yangcheng Lake to welcome the 70th anniversary of ECUST. Alumni collaborated to carry out a series of rescue measures in the water and on the shore. With the concerted efforts of pedestrians and alumni, a life passage was built in 20 minutes, which bought precious time for rescuing the old man.

In recalling the rescue process, Zhang Feng, an alumnus involved in the rescue, said, "we did not think about anything, and three of the five of us were wearing glasses. Our glasses fell into the lake as we jumped into it but we neglected it and took the time to save the old man."

The rescue was exceptionally difficult. When the five alumni swam to the old man's side, trying to rescue him to the shore, they found that his legs were entangled in the aquatic plant with twisted roots and that the lake was bottomless. In the nick of time, they first held the old man's head steady and then worked to pull away the entangled water plants, using the only bucket as a life buoy to push the old man to the shore.

Other alumni on the shore also cooperated to find a water hammock and other rescue items. Considering the long vertical distance between the bridge and the water, they set up a human wall and lifted the old man to shore, quickly performed simple first aid, and then sent him to the hospital together with the first-aid personnel.

Zhang Feng said in an interview afterwards that although it was their first time to encounter such accidents in outdoor running activities, the members of ECUST Langtuteng Outdoor Club had received centralized training on the knowledge of land first aid in their usual running activities or training, and also cultivated strong physical ability and physique, enabling them to play a key role in the rescue. More importantly, the alumni of ECUST School of Business worked together to build the quickest path to life with their warm hearts. Although the 70th Anniversary Happy Run was cancelled midway due to the rescue work, the alumni who participated in the event agreed that it was the best gift to their alma mater for the anniversary.

Xue Xiaojuan, class mentor of Zhang Feng, a 2017 MBA alumnus who went into the water to rescue the old man, said after learning about it, "Our ECUST students really achieved the unity of knowledge and action. When he was in the School, Zhang Feng was a class committee member, willing to help others and often helping teachers and classmates." The event also attracted the attention and reports of mainstream media with official media such as people.cn and CCTV News forwarding the event. Netizens made comments such as "praise for ECUST students!", "the most meaningful party" and so on.

The alumni of ECUST School of Business acted wisely to allow more rescue time, reflecting the cohesiveness of the students of ECUST School of Business. In the face of accidents that none of us would like to see, we call on everyone to take rescue measures to save others while ensuring personal safety, drawing a safe and successful conclusion every time you come forward and lend a helping hand.

Finally, a special thanks again to these alumni of ECUST School of Business who were involved in the rescue (in no particular order). They are:

Fan Weiwei (2017 MBA), Zhang Feng (2017 MBA), Wu Kaibing (2018 MBA), Yu Xianghui (2018 MEM), Guo Xingwang (2019 MBA), Zang Chunlei (2020 MBA), Chen Jinwen (2021 MBA), Mao Donghui (2021 MBA), among others.

Written by: Cao Jiayu      Reviewed by: Hou Limin