Hu Youping, the Chinese woman who was killed stopping a knife attack on a Japanese school bus, has been honoured by her local government as a “righteous and courageous role model”.
The leadership in 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 service.
Three civilians who helped detain the suspect were also awarded the title of “selfless hero” by the local authorities.
At the service, Hu’s family, friends, and local authorities recalled her kindness and bravery in the face of danger, saying her actions have inspired widespread admiration and gratitude from both Chinese and Japanese citizens.
“To promote the spirit of selfless heroism, Suzhou will establish the ‘[Hu] Youping Selfless Hero Fund’, to better commemorate the hero, pay tribute to the hero, and absorb the power of good deeds to construct a city that is open-minded, inclusive, and full of mutual assistance,” the official Suzhou Daily newspaper reported.
Hu died last Wednesday, two days after she was stabbed multiple times while trying to restrain an attacker at a school bus stop in Suzhou’s hi-tech manufacturing hub.
Hu’s courageous act “prevented more people from being hurt,” according to Suzhou police. The mother told state news agency Xinhua that Hu had stopped the attacker, allowing her son to escape.
The Japanese embassy in Beijing flew its flag at half-mast on Friday to pay tribute to Hu and Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi posted a video offering his condolences on behalf of the Japanese government and people.
Hu’s bravery has also been widely praised at home, with many flowers and messages of condolence being left at the bus stop before community workers and the police asked members of the public to leave them in a car parked nearby instead.
One of the bouquets included a message that read: “Guardian of the virtues of the Chinese people, including conscience, justice, humanity, compassion, bravery and professionalism – may you rest in peace. From an ordinary Chinese person.”
Tech giant Tencent, which owns the country’s most popular social media app WeChat, said it had deleted over 800 posts and suspended 61 accounts for spreading hate speech.
In a commentary published on Friday evening, Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said the government will not accept any form of violence or efforts to incite hatred against foreigners, adding: “Chinese people have the same standards on right and wrong”.
