Big Bridge Diary: Part 4

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, Part 2, Part 3

10-20-2008

4:50 p.m. I am patrolling the South Fort section of the Big Bridge, when I notice a woman. She looks several times over the edge of the bridge. I cross the street and come up beside her and try to get her to tell me what was wrong. She just cries. I advise and persuade many women who come to the bridge and they say not one word.

At 6:00 p.m. her cell phone rings and she answers. On the other line is the voice of a man who tells her that he wants her to stay [on earth] and live on. He arrived 15 minutes later and drove her away in his car. He told me that this situation [the attempted suicide] was all the result of a little misunderstanding.


08-17-2008

Tuesday morning: a man darted through the bridge’s traffic and — despite the pleas of onlookers - jumped into the Yangzi. Thursday morning: at the South Castle section, a young man plunged off the Big Bridge and died on the spot as he hit the concrete below. Friday morning: a young woman at the South Castle section jumped into the Yangzi, hit just by the water’s edge. She died on the spot.


06-22-2008

A middle aged man, standing right by an armed guard jumped off the bridge. His body was found in a flowerbed.

Visit Chen Si at his blog.
Contact Spencer at jwoodman@gm.slc.edu.

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Big Bridge Diary: Part 3

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, Part 2

02-25-2009

A middle aged man jumped to his death from the South Castle section of the Big Bridge. It was said that when he was discovered, he was still grasping a family portrait photograph.


02-25-2009

Those who choose to jump off the bridge to their deaths have a very high success rate. Oh, what we must deal with in life! Some people [who plunge off the bridge] leave almost no trace — in an instant they are buried beneath the waters of the Yangzi.


10-25-2008

10:40 a.m. I am patrolling the South Fort section of the Big Bridge when I see a middle aged man about 200 meters toward the South Castle on the eastern side of the bridge. Half of his body is hanging off over the bridge’s ledge. I sprinted vigorously toward him. I managed to take hold of his right leg only and managed to pull him back onto the bridge and restrained him on the ground. For a long time he did not communicate, not a word. He just [sat there and] nervously bit his lips, which began to bleed.

Visit Chen Si at his blog.
Contact Spencer at jwoodman@gm.slc.edu.

more

Big Bridge Diary: Part 2

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.

Visit Chen Si at his blog.
Contact Spencer at jwoodman@gm.slc.edu.

more

Big Bridge Diary: Part 1

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.

07-11-09

Today at 2:50, just as I was patrolling from the North Castle to the South Castle bridge section, I saw a person by the Peasants Workers and Soldiers Statue. He suddenly bounded over the bridge’s parapet and jumped. I stopped my car, jumped out and looked over the parapet after him. He had hit the concrete and lay completely motionless on the ground below, in South Castle Park, by the water’s edge. The police came to discover his head completely broken, its blood and brains flowing out. The police used newspapers to cover the corpse. He was a very young man.


01-30-10

3:10: I am patrolling the South Castle section of the Big Bridge when I see a middle aged man, lying horizontal, his body already mostly off the bridges ledge. His still grasps his luggage. I sneak up behind him, pull him off the parapet, and hold him. Unfortunately, his luggage plummets off the bridge. He smells strongly of alcohol.

This week alone, six people have jumped off this bridge to their deaths.


03-21-10

Yesterday at 3:05 as I was patrolling the bridge I saved a young man. I discovered he had had quite a lot to drink. He wanted to jump over the bridge’s ledge. I sat and talked with him, and found that his story is quite funny. He promised his wife 200 Yuan out of his 1,400 Yuan salary for spending money. He and his wife had argued much throughout the past few days. He thought suicide would show her for sure, and ensure he would never have to pay her another cent. I sent him home.

Visit Chen Si at his blog.
Contact Spencer at jwoodman@gm.slc.edu.

more