Bus Attendant Dies Defending Japanese Mother and Child from Attacker... Waves of Condolence in China

Knife Attack at School Bus Stop in China

A Chinese school bus attendant who was seriously injured while protecting a Japanese mother and child from a knife attack by an assailant in China has passed away during treatment.

On the 28th (local time), according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Suzhou Municipal Government in Jiangsu Province, eastern China, announced that the female attendant, Hu Youping (胡友平), died on the 26th. The media reported, "Suzhou City recognized Hu's courageous act of doing the right thing and is proceeding with the formal process to award her the Suzhou City 'Jian Yi Yong Wei Model Title'." Jian Yi Yong Wei (見義勇爲) is a four-character idiom meaning 'to see what is right and bravely act.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on the 24th at a bus stop in Suzhou City. At that time, when a Japanese school bus arrived at the stop to pick up children after school, a Chinese man attacked a Japanese mother and child who had come to greet her son. The suspect was subdued immediately after the crime by Hu and nearby parents. The motive of the man’s crime has not yet been revealed.

Xinhua News Agency reported, "Hu Youping sustained serious injuries while stopping the suspect’s crime, was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment, but unfortunately passed away on the 26th." The Japanese mother and child injured by the knife were immediately transported to the hospital for treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.

Condolence message for the late Mr. Hu Yuping and an early photo posted on the Weibo account of the Embassy of Japan in China.
[Image source=Weibo account of the Embassy of Japan in China]

Suzhou is a city with a population of 13 million adjacent to Shanghai and is home to many Japanese companies. Due to this incident, the Suzhou Japanese school was closed that day, and security was strengthened at Japanese schools in other parts of China. The Japanese Embassy in China stated, "Recently, knife-related incidents have occurred in places where people gather, such as parks and schools across China," and urged people to "be cautious of their surroundings when going out."

The news of Hu’s death attracted significant attention, ranking first in search terms on Chinese social networking services (SNS) such as Weibo that day. Chinese netizens responded with comments like, "If she had not stopped the assailant, many children might have been sacrificed," "We salute her righteous action. May she rest in peace in heaven," and "A kind and brave woman, an ordinary but great person." The Japanese Embassy in China also expressed deep sorrow over the incident through its official Weibo account that day.

Meanwhile, as knife crimes targeting foreigners continue in China, anxiety among foreigners residing in China is growing. On the 10th, four American university lecturers visiting China were injured by a Chinese man wielding a knife in Beisan Park in downtown Jilin City, Jilin Province, in northeastern China.

At that time, public security authorities investigated that the suspect stabbed the Americans after becoming angry when he bumped into one of them while walking in Beisan Park, and emphasized that it was not a hate crime against foreigners.