BEIJING: The dying wish of a 20-year-old Chinese food delivery rider, who lost his life while rescuing drowning strangers, moved many online and prompted his company to fulfil it.
Jin Xiaowu, from southwestern China’s Guizhou province, died while saving a father and son on May 27.
Jin and his colleague Wang Fangyang were walking along the river after finishing their delivery shifts when they suddenly heard cries for help.
A father and son had accidentally stepped into deep water while playing in the river and were caught in an undertow.
Jin, Wang, and two other men jumped into the river to rescue them. The pair were successfully brought to safety, but Jin, exhausted from the rescue, was pulled under by the rip current and lost his life.
After Jin’s death, a friend looked at his phone’s notes app and discovered his two wishes for 2026: “Save 20,000 yuan (US$3,000), and buy Dad a minivan.”
Despite his young age, Jin had been a selfless family man and a hard worker.
Jin’s sister said he still wore a T‑shirt she had given him seven years ago.
He joined Meituan, China’s largest on‑demand delivery services provider, in February, and recently used his savings to buy his mother a new mobile phone.
He noticed that his father commuted on an electric bike even in bad weather, so he planned to buy a minivan for his parents to travel in comfort.
Jin also sent his friend photos of minivans and told him about his wish.
Jin had also won the delivery champion award in his team.
After his death, his sister expressed her grief on social media. Many offered to fulfil his dying wish, but the family turned them all down.
Meituan reportedly offered the family 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) in consolation money. After learning of his wish, the company further bought the family a car one day before Father’s Day on June 20.
The company also promised to continue supporting Jin’s family in the future.
Jin’s heroic act triggered online discussions about whether it was “worth it” to sacrifice one’s life to save others.
Jin’s sister said: “As long as my brother thought it was ‘worth it’, I agree with him.”
His father also praised his courage and thanked those who helped fulfil his son’s wish.
“The father will think of his son every time he drives the car,” an online observer commented.
“Although the money and the car are nothing to the family compared with their son and brother, we still want them to accept it, even if just for a little consolation,” said another. - South China Morning Post
