Crowds flocked to a hot pot restaurant in Beijing’s Haidian district owned by Luan Liuwei, who sacrificed his life to save three children from drowning in a river in northern China’s Hebei province on August 10.

Despite the long lines and waiting times, countless customers made the special trip to the restaurant to pay their last respects to Luan, who was known for his courage and selflessness, and to support his family.

Luan, who turned 41 this year, ran the Beijing restaurant with his wife. On August 10, while out with his daughters on the Yongding River in Hebei’s Gu’an, he rescued three drowning children. However, when he returned to the water to rescue an adult in danger, he ran out of strength and unfortunately drowned.

His selfless act of saving others has spread widely among Chinese netizens, who have left comments vowing to prevent the closure of this shop. In recent days, this hot pot restaurant, which has only 18 tables, has seen more than 300 queues every day. Many customers have even chosen to leave their money without eating to support the hero’s legacy, staff reported, as his family has rejected all donations.

“I believe that a person who saves others without thinking about his own family must be a particularly kind and good person,” said one customer.

“We should carry on this spirit and celebrate it. I think positive energy is worth celebrating,” added another customer.

In memory of his wife Xue Qiaoyan, Luan is a person who always brought joy to others and helped others wholeheartedly. His death was a painful sorrow for Xue. However, she takes some comfort in the fact that her husband gave his life by saving others without thinking of himself.

“When people needed help, he never hesitated to help others. He is also responsible for the family. Many people from all over the country have visited our store these days, and this touches me deeply. We have received significant support that allows us to continue our lives. I have to be resilient. I think he would have wanted me to be strong too,” Xue said.

Restaurant owner sacrifices his life to save drowning children – guests pay their last respects

A British vlogging couple have struck a chord with viewers with their captivating video series documenting their tours of China, which has been viewed more than three million times to date.

Paige and Jack explored famous travel destinations in Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xinjiang and Chongqing. To their surprise, the exciting video diaries they made along the way became very popular online.

“We thought we would go to China with our friend and do some filming there. But we never thought it would come to this,” said Paige.

Thanks to its relaxed visa policy and other conducive measures, China has seen a steady increase in inbound tourism this year. Most notably, the 144-hour visa-free regime allows visitors from 54 countries to enter China and stay for up to 144 hours for short-term activities without a visa.

The increase in overseas travel was accompanied by an online enthusiasm, with the topic of “travel to China” a constant theme on social media sites.

Given their growing popularity, Jack expressed a desire to explore more regions across China, with the intention of offering audiences an authentic picture of the country and staying off the beaten track.

“I think in the last few months it has undoubtedly become very popular to make travel videos in China. We want to go to Heilongjiang province and various places in the northeast, far away from what people may have previously associated with China,” he said.

Videos from the British vlogging couple’s China tour reach 3 million views