A Chinese woman has died while trying to protect a Japanese mother and her baby from a knife attack.
When Hu Youping was working as a school bus attendant in Suzhou, a man attacked a Japanese woman and her child at a bus stop outside a Japanese school.
She was seriously injured while trying to stop him.
Tributes to her poured in online, and the local government said it would award her the title of “Model of Volunteerism.”
The Japanese Embassy in China also flew flags at half-mast to mourn Ms. Hu. The embassy said in a statement on Weibo that it was “deeply saddened” to learn of her death.
“we believe [Ms Hu’s] Bravery and kindness also represent the Chinese people. We pay tribute to her righteous deeds. May she rest in peace,” it said.
Chinese social media was also filled with condolences and praise.
One comment on Weibo read: “We will remember your kindness and bravery because you protected the safety of our Japanese friends and maintained the reputation of ordinary Chinese people.”
Another netizen described Ms. Hu as an “ordinary, virtuous and brave Chinese sister”.
The attack, which occurred on Monday, left mother and son with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, a 52-year-old Chinese man, was arrested on the spot.
it follows another Four US university teachers were stabbed earlier this month A park in Jilin City, northeastern China.
Chinese officials have said the two attacks were “isolated” incidents.
China’s state-run newspaper Global Times published an editorial on Friday paying tribute to Hu Jintao and claiming that “China remains undoubtedly one of the safest countries in the world.”
Separately, the newspaper reported that after the attack, Weibo deleted 759 posts that “incited nationalist sentiments.” The posts contained “extreme remarks” that “promoted group hatred and even applauded criminal acts in the name of patriotism.”
The stabbing in Suzhou sparked concern among the local Japanese community and led the embassy to issue a security alert warning citizens living in China to take precautions when going out.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the incident was “regrettable” and that it would “continue to take effective measures to effectively protect the safety of all foreigners in China.”
Last year, there were a number of knife attacks in China.
In May, two people were killed and 10 injured in such incidents. elementary school attack in southern Jiangxi Province. In the same month, another stabbing incident occurred at a hospital in Yunnan, killing two people and injuring 21 others.
Last July, six people were killed, including three children. Kindergarten stabbing incident in southeastern Guangdong Province.
