A cosplayer in China decked out in a Japanese manga costume who rushed from her car to help a man who collapsed in a rain-soaked street outside a comic convention has touched millions of hearts online.
Cosplayer and medical school postgraduate student from Suzhou University, Zhang Xinyu, gave first aid to a young man, who fainted in the rain outside the Shanghai National Convention & Exhibition Centre, where the Bilibili World comic con was being held on July 21.
A host at one of the event’s booths, Zhang saw the man passing out from her car and immediately rushed out to rescue him.
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A video clip recorded by Zhang’s friend, which has been viewed 7 million times on Douyin, the mainland version of TikTok, shows Zhang kneeling down to help the man despite her pretty princess dress being soiled by the rain-soaked street.
“Deep breath, don’t move your head if you feel dizzy, squeeze my hand,” Zhang says as she attends to the man.
After making him comfortable, Zhang called the medical emergency number and accompanied the man to hospital where she stayed with him until late into the night.
Zhang later posted on her Douyin account, which has 140,000 followers, that the man was fine, and has already recovered.
The man, who has earned the online nickname “the fainted guy”, said he had only eaten a biscuit all day and fainted because of low blood sugar.
“I am happy to have been saved by a beautiful sister,” he told Suzhou TV.
While many were moved and impressed by Zhang’s professionalism and dedication on social media, some compared the incident to a manga plot.
“Isn’t this the classic lucky encounter manga heroes have?” said an online observer.
“Am I in heaven? Why am I being saved by an animation character?” said another, putting himself in the man’s shoes.
“She just kneeled down wearing that beautiful dress. I am moved to tears,” said a third.
“She is an angel descending to the human world,” said another person.
Zhang told Suzhou TV that she did what any doctor would do.
“Cosplay is my hobby, saving life is my instinct,” she added.
As for the dress, the online shop that sells it, Gaoding Ruxin, has offered to give Zhang another dress, which is worth around 300 yuan (US$42), for free.
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