by Chen Si
Translated by Spencer Woodman
Chen Si spends his weekends on Big Bridge which crosses China's Yangzte River, attempting to stop people from jumping. This translation of excerpts from his blog will appear on Low Log in four parts.
Read: Part 1
02-07-10
8:10 a.m. I arrive at the Big Bridge.
9:10 a.m. I see a preschool boy standing on the bridge’s parapet. The
little guy is arguing with his stepmother. I plead with him, then pull
him down off the ledge. I give him a good talking to. His parents are
off in Hongtaiyang city doing business.
What will happen [on the bridge] this afternoon? I don’t know. My
heart is awfully heavy.
Let us gaze upon the passage of another year, the arrival of another
spring. For saving people from the Big Bridge, spring is the most
frightening part of each year.
I wish for this magnificent Big Bridge to see no more tragedies! I
wish that every inch of our world will brim with goodness and harmony!
09-19-2009
8:30 a.m. I am patrolling when I discover a middle age woman, her
face filled with tears, pacing about unevenly. It is my sixth
anniversary of saving people on the bridge, so I’m wearing my special
red shirt that reads: treat life well every day. I thought I better
not let this woman go misunderstood, so I walked beside her and began
to speak with her. She was highly anguished, and, in an instant,
climbed up on the bridges ledge. I pulled her off the parapet and had
to punch her several times [to subdue her]. This attracted many
onlookers.
05-17-2008
5:20 p.m. A young man jumped off the big bridge. He died immediately
on impact. One of his legs separated from his body completely. Another
meaningless life!
10-30-2008
Presently our [society’s] physiological crisis has reached a new
high. I have decided that I will buy a small moped to assist me in
addressing this urgent crisis.
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