Bridge of sighs

A view of the "suicide bridge." (Photo: Globaltimes.cn)Chen Si, 42, felt relieved that nothing unusual happened on August 22 as he returned home from his volunteer shift patrolling for suicide jumpers on Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. But he was still worried about the young woman he rescued the day before.

She was the No.193 jumper he had saved since his first successful attempt on September 19, 2003. Chen was disappointed that police had taken the distraught woman away for disrupting traffic after he had talked to her for only an hour.

"I didn't have enough time to let her drop her suicidal thoughts and she needs more counseling and supervision," said Chen.

The would-be jumper, about 20, looked hip in a blue vest and black shorts, he recalled. Chen didn't pay much attention to her when he first spotted her from 50 meters away at about 8 am. But after she leaned against the bridge railing, Chen began to suspect that all was not well. She made a phone call, then suddenly threw the phone at the barrier and began climbing over.

It was a life or death moment, yet a typical scene for the veteran rescuer. In a worn-out cap and T-shirt, the stocky man rushed through a line of jammed cars and rushed to the other side of the road.

There, he held his breath, and calmly introduced himself, "I am Chen Si, a bridge volunteer. I see you are in a very bad mood. How can I help you?" At the same time, he gently pulled her from the barrier, telling her not to be afraid, that he was not a bad guy.

"Her body was as light as cotton," Chen said. She looked at Chen, but distraught, she refused to give in. "I don't need your help, I just want to calm down," she said, tears falling from her red eyes and down the fence leaving small watery trails.

Chen tried to calm her. "I can see you are burdened with troubles." The young woman cried again, telling Chen to leave her alone, but he insisted on staying by her side under the scorching sunshine.

Tempting bridge

Finally, she opened up to Chen. She had a clothing store and a beloved boyfriend, but she made serious mistakes. "She must have been cheated and lost both money and love," Chen told the Global Times.

"I could just die. I don't want my parents to worry about me any more," said the girl in despair.

Chen intended to take her to a shelter he started for suicide survivors.

It was an old apartment he rented, costing him 8,000 yuan ($1,177) a year.

Built in 1968, the Nanjing Bridge was once celebrated as a triumph of Chinese engineering and a national symbol — the world's longest road and railway bridge and a solid connection between north and south in eastern China at that time.

The red flags on the bridgehead, and sculptures with quotations from Chairman Mao marked the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) and previous political movements.

However, the historic and scenic attraction has also become a popular suicide spot that has claimed more than 1,000 lives over the past 40 years. Some even traveled from afar for a final dive.

"People came to let go of their problems. But the noise on the bridge doesn't give you peace, instead, it'll make you more upset amid constant flow of cars," said another volunteer Zhu Haijun, 30.

No one can escape death after plunging into the rushing river from 50 to 60 meters below, he said.

Chen was born into a poor family in rural Suqian, north Jiangsu Province. He grew up without a mother and went to Nanjing to earn a living in 1990 by selling vegetables and cigarettes.


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