Actions of hero educator earn respect from the country and inspire his community, Deng Rui and Tan Yingzi report in Chongqing.

Wang Hongxu (center, back) poses for a photo with his school team in a track-and-field meet in Dadukou district, Chongqing, in 2012. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

On Sept 10, Teacher's Day in China, people could be seen placing flowers and mourning on a bank of the Yangtze River in Southwest China's Chongqing－the spot where an inspirational educator recently and tragically lost his life.

At the farewell ceremony held at Baoshantang funeral parlor in Dadukou in June, thousands of people spontaneously came to pay their respects to the hero.

Wang Hongxu, 35, a primary school teacher in Chongqing, sacrificed his life to save two drowning children from a Yangtze torrent in June. His bravery has manifested great love in the community and, as a teacher, he accomplished the last "lift" from the water.

On Thursday, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee posthumously awarded the title of Role Model of the Times to Wang, the fourth, and also the youngest, from Chongqing to be bestowed with the title.

The incident occurred near Wanfa Pier of the Yangtze in Dadukou district of the city on the evening of June 1.

Wang, a PE teacher at Yucai Primary School in the district, was taking his 3-year-old son for a walk nearby when he became aware of two children, a girl and a boy, struggling in the water and in danger of drowning. Without a thought for his own safety, he dashed into the water as he heard their cries for help. With the help of nine other people, who formed a rescue chain by holding hands in the water, the exhausted Wang, who was the last in the chain, saved both children, but was unable to save himself. He was swept away by the torrent.

Wang's wife Chen Luxi (left) makes a speech at a ceremony to posthumously award her husband the title of Role Model of the Times. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Police officers soon arrived at the scene for an emergency search and rescue. Wang was found dead in nearby waters the next day.

A witness, Wang Xiancai, told local media that Wang Hongxu might have been able to make it back to shore if he had stopped the rescue effort after saving the first child, the girl, but he insisted on trying to lift the boy out of the water also.

"Wang was a PE teacher to my child. When we first saw the news, we were extremely sad. What a pity... His heroic deed is respectable," says Tang Li, a mourner.

"The recipient truly deserves the Role Model of the Times honor. He embodied the spiritual outlook required of a teacher," says Liu Changran, a resident who lives in Dadukou.

On June 3, Wang was posthumously awarded the Chongqing Good Man prize by the municipal government.

"I think he just followed his heart. Were he given a second chance (to save other people's lives), I believe he won't hesitate to do it," says Zhang Ya, Wang's colleague, adding that Wang had always been a warmhearted man.

According to Wang's family, it was not the first time he had saved lives.

The compassionate and courageous man once saved a drowning child at an indoor swimming pool one summer and lately helped an injured child to hospital.

People line up to pay respect to the late teacher at a farewell ceremony held at Baoshantang funeral parlor on June 3. (DENG RUI / CHINA DAILY)

Wang's father, Wang Ping, recalls his son's reply clearly in a discussion over the deed. "There's no point in thinking whether it is worthwhile in an emergency."

"The two kids are the future of the country. We don't blame their parents for their carelessness. We love all students as if they were our own children," says Li Yonglan, Wang's mother.

As a teaching family, including Wang's wife, parents and grandparents, there is a long tradition of showing selfless love for children in the household. Wang lived up to his dream of becoming a teacher in April 2009. Soon after he met his wife, Chen Luxi.

"I'm fortunate to have met such a good man like him, but unfortunate to realize that our time together was so short," she says.

Cao Xujia, 12, a student of Wang, says he was both humorous and strict, and had a unique way of teaching, and that he learned a lot from Wang through the laughter. "He encouraged me to study hard, to become a man who can make a contribution as well," Cao says.

Wang's colleague Zhang Ya says she was not surprised by Wang's newly awarded title. "Society needs role models like him, to evoke positivity that can influence future generations.

"Although he is gone, his spirit and his love for the students will always be a huge spur for me."

Contact the writers at dengrui@chinadaily.com.cn