China student misses important exam to save classmate suffering heart attack: 'No regrets'

Thanks to Jiang Zhaopeng's quick thinking, his classmate could reach the hospital in seven minutes. (Representational image: Unsplash)

An 18-year-old student in eastern China is being praised by social media users after he selflessly chose to save a classmate's life, consequently missing a critical vocational entrance exam. Jiang Zhaopeng, from Shandong province, says he has "no regrets" about his decision.

The dramatic incident unfolded on May 10 as Jiang and a classmate were en route to the national vocational entrance exam, known as the Spring Gaokao, in a cab, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. Shortly after setting off, Jiang's classmate suffered a sudden heart attack and fell unconscious.

Reacting swiftly, Jiang, who has formal first aid training, immediately initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). He also alerted the traffic police and instructed their driver to rush to the nearest hospital. The driver, aided by traffic police permission, ran six red lights to reach the hospital in only seven minutes.

Reports indicate that doctors were able to restore the classmate's heartbeat after nearly 30 minutes of emergency treatment. Once assured of his classmate's stable condition, Jiang notified his school and rushed to the exam venue. The delay, however, meant he missed the crucial Chinese language section of the test.

The Spring Gaokao is a vital annual examination and is a crucial pathway to vocational colleges in China, second only in importance to the national college entrance exam, the Gaokao, held in June.

"My exam can wait, but my classmate only lives once," SCMP quoted Jiang as saying.

Jiang, a dental prosthetics student at Shandong City Service Technician College, had planned to apply for a medical technology programme through the exam. “This experience has only strengthened my resolve to pursue medicine,” he said.