The year 2021 has seen tears as well as laughter. Here are some touching moments that warm our hearts and make the year memorable.
On Jan 6, a group of volunteers braved snow to send daily supplies and anti-epidemic materials to students at dormitories in a university in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province.
The Dalian Ocean University imposed closed-off management measures after a COVID-19 outbreak. With more than 13,000 teachers and students living on campus, the university organized volunteers to send meals, daily necessities and anti-epidemic supplies to the dormitories.
In Shangrao, Jiangxi province, a volunteer is seen carrying bags of vegetables to residents under quarantine in a residential community on Nov 19.
Thanks to the efforts of numerous frontline volunteers like him, China has managed to keep the COVID-19 epidemic largely under control in 2021, ensuring the safety of millions of families.
In Hollywood films, heroes with superpowers come to the rescue when people are in danger. In the real world, there are also superheroes, but they are ordinary people just like you and me.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Chen Jianjun, a 24-year-old firefighter from Anhui province, is seen holding onto a woman who fell from a four-story building. They fell down together after Chen failed to prevent the woman from jumping off.
Despite Chen's heroic act, the two died after falling from the building.
Torrential rains hit Zhengzhou, the capital of Central China's Henan province this summer, bringing unprecedented flooding to the city and putting the lives of many people in danger.
Among those in distress were an elderly woman and her two grandchildren, who were trapped in a car. As water began flooding into the car and rising quickly, the situation became desperate.
At the decisive moment, some passersby lent a helping hand. They waded through floodwaters to reach the car and broke a window to pull the three out. By then, the water was level with the woman's mouth.
Read more: Zhengzhou passersby rescue woman, grandkids trapped in flooded car
Zhang Xiaoxiao, an 8-year-old girl, moved many people when she said she would leave braised shrimps from school lunch for her sick mother in a video clip.
Zhang, from Zhoukou of Henan province, had finished all the vegetables and rice from the lunch but left four shrimps. When asked why, the girl said she would take them home to her mother, who is in poor health.
Read more: 'Shrimp girl' captures hearts of Chinese
On Aug 1, Su Bingtian became the first Chinese sprinter to stand on the track of the Olympic men's 100m final, competing with the fastest runners in the world.
It had been nearly nine decades since his predecessor Liu Changchun participated in the men's 100m sprint in 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Liu was the first Chinese athlete to compete in the Olympic Games.
Back then, the entire Chinese contingent had just six people, and Liu had to seek donations to pay for his return trip. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Chinese contingent was 777 members strong, and won 38 gold medals, ranking the second in the medal tally.
After searching for their abducted son for 14 years, Sun Haiyang and his wife Peng Siying were finally reunited with the now 18-year-old boy on Dec 6.
Their son, Sun Zhuo, was abducted while playing in front of his home in Shenzhou, Guangdong province, in 2007. The boy was found by the police after his identify was confirmed through DNA tests.
Read more: Couple reunited with abducted son after 14 years
A photo showing an armless test taker answering questions with his right foot during China's postgraduate admission exam became an online sensation.
The armless man is Peng Chao from Miyi county of Sichuan province. He received an admission letter from the prestigious Tongji University in July.
After losing his arms in an accident at the age of 6, Peng not only learned to take care of himself but also to write using his feet. His story is proof of how far one can go to pursue a dream.
During the Spring Festival travel rush in 2010, a migrant worker's story struck an emotional chord with millions of people. Bamuyubumu, a member of ethnic Yi group, was photographed as she was rushing to catch a train in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi province.
Looking determined and holding her baby, the woman was carrying a heavy rucksack stuffed with quilts, clothing, diapers and other items. The photo, which was titled "Baby, mom will take you home" touched the hearts of numerous netizens.
Eleven years later, the photographer who captured the moment visited the woman at her home in Yuexi county of Sichuan province. The life of Bamuyubumu has seen dramatic changes thanks to a targeted poverty alleviation project.
Her family has shaken off poverty, and moved into a new concrete house from an old adobe dwelling.
Read more: Perseverance offers path to better life
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