Chinese woman who died trying to prevent attack on Japanese mother and child honored for 'selfless heroism'

Hu Youping, the Chinese woman killed while stopping a knife attack on a Japanese school bus, has been honored by her local government as a “role model of righteousness and courage.”

Leaders of the eastern city of Suzhou, including Party chief Liu Xiaotao and Mayor Wu Qingwen, presented a “model of selfless heroism” certificate to Hu’s family at a memorial ceremony.

Three civilians who helped arrest the suspect were also awarded the title of “selfless hero” by local authorities.

At the ceremony, Hu’s family, friends and local authorities recalled his kindness and courage in the face of danger, saying his actions inspired widespread admiration and gratitude from Chinese and Japanese citizens.

“To promote the spirit of selfless heroism, Suzhou will establish the ‘Selfless Hero (Hu) Youping Fund’ to better commemorate the hero, pay tribute to him and absorb the power of good deeds to build an open-minded, inclusive and caring city,” the official Suzhou Daily reported.

Hu died last Wednesday, two days after she was stabbed multiple times while trying to subdue an attacker at a school bus stop in the high-tech manufacturing hub of Suzhou.

Hu’s brave act prevented more people from being injured, according to Suzhou police. The mother told the official Xinhua news agency that Hu stopped the attacker, allowing her son to escape.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing lowered its flag to half-mast on Friday to pay tribute to Hu, and Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi released a video offering his condolences on behalf of the Japanese government and people.

Hu’s courage was also widely praised at home, with many flowers and messages of condolence left at the bus stop before community workers and police asked members of the public to leave them in a car parked nearby.

Hu Youping died two days after last week’s attack. Photo: CCTV

One of the bouquets contained a message: “Guardian of the virtues of the Chinese people, including conscience, justice, humanity, compassion, courage and professionalism, may you rest in peace. From an ordinary Chinese.”

Others offered to donate to his family, but they did not declined the offerssuggesting instead that people donate to charity. They added that they only wish Hu to rest in peace and for the family to return to a peaceful life as soon as possible.

But some social media users reacted to the incident by expressing extreme nationalist and anti-Japanese viewsrequiring online platforms to remove such comments and ban accounts that promote hatred and extremism.

Tech giant Tencent, owner of the country’s most popular social media app WeChat, said it had removed more than 800 posts and suspended 61 accounts for spreading hate speech.

In a commentary published Friday evening, the People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, said the government would not accept any form of violence or efforts to incite hatred against foreigners, adding: “Chinese people have the same standards of right and wrong.”