Qiang Tianlin is training at campus. (XINHUA/web photo)
BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Qiang Tianlin chose to become a soldier, after he was saved by an unknown PLA rescuer in the devastating Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. Now, he is seeking help on social media.
"It's been ten years now. I've forgotten what you look like, but I want to find you and tell you that I joined the army and became a soldier just like you," said Qiang Tianlin in a video posted on Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
The video has garnered attention from the public and the press, with the 24-year-old man now in the media spotlight.
Qiang, a graduate of National University of Defense Technology, is a lieutenant in a brigade of the PLA 82nd Group Army. He recorded the video and uploaded it to social media on January 23, in search of a soldier who saved his life in the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.
Qiang Tianlin took a photo with the Monument of Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in 2008 and took 69,227 lives. (XINHUA/ web photo)
Qiang was a middle school student in Guangyuan city, southwest Sichuan Province 10 years ago when earthquakes suddenly hit the region, causing landslides.
Qiang was stunned by the tempestuous shaking of ground and the continuous falling of rocks and stones. One PLA soldier dashed towards Qiang, shielding the boy from falling rubble with his own body.
"He told me that I was safe, and took me to the settlement area later. There I reunited with my family who had also been rescued by the soldier," said Qiang.
He was not given the soldier's name or phone number due to the rules of confidentiality. But they sometimes chatted during that period.
Attracted by the soldier's interesting life in military camps and watching him help refugees, Qiang decided there and then to become a soldier.
He worked hard to get a place at a good high school, and was accepted by National University of Defense Technology in 2012.
With the letter of admission in hand, Qiang could not help sharing his happiness with the man who saved his life and shaped his future.
"He asked me about my dream, and I answered immediately that I wanted to be just like him," Qiang said.