"Why did I give you my hand
I have also accepted kindness from strangers”
2023 CCTV Spring Festival Gala,
"Hello, Stranger" sung by Mao Buyi
Focus on the kindness and warmth of ordinary strangers.
dressed in black,
A guy in a red scarf
appeared in the lens,
He is the "flood release hero" Gan Yu,
During the earthquake, he reversed and opened the gate to release the flood.
Gan Yu's family was looking for footage of themselves in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
Photo provided by the interviewee
On New Year's Eve,
Gan Yu had a reunion dinner with relatives and friends,
Let's find some footage about myself in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala together,
Although staying up late with relatives and friends,
But it didn't affect Gan Yu's busyness in the first year of junior high school.
Gan Yu occasionally falters when going up and down the stairs.
Photo by Zhang Lang
Cleaning the firecracker skins left over from New Year’s Eve, adding some firewood to the stove to symbolize good fortune, and cutting a large plate of sausage and bacon... On the first day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Rabbit, Gan Yu was wearing an apron in his old house in Shihe Town, Dazhu County, Dazhou, Sichuan. I was so busy in the morning that I was sweating profusely.
This young man once sacrificed his life to save others, and created a 17-day miracle of life in the deep mountains and old forests with constant aftershocks. Now he has a rosy complexion, but he occasionally stumbles when he goes upstairs.
Gan Yu who came back fat
Eat a little more than before
When an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 occurred in Luding on September 5, 2022, Gan Yu and Luo Yong, employees of the Luding Bay East Hydropower Station, rescued people together.
In order to prevent the river from overflowing the dam and destroying the downstream villages, the two missed the best time to evacuate.
Gan Yu, who was exhausted, lost contact for 17 days during the escape, but the search and rescue operations for Gan Yu did not stop for a moment.
In the early morning of September 21, when Gan Yu, who had multiple fractures throughout his body, was found by local villagers in Wanggangping Township, Shimian County, he was so emaciated that he lost 110 kilograms.
Gan Yu's state when he just returned home for recuperation.
Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Dazhu County Party Committee
After being discharged from the hospital, Gan Yu returned to his hometown to recuperate.
Under the careful care of his grandmother and father for several months, Gan Yu's sunken cheeks bulged again, and his weight returned to the 150 catties before the earthquake.
Gan Yu who came back fat.
Photo by Zhang Lang
"The appetite is a bit more than before, but I just feel like I can't get enough to eat." Gan Yu said that when he first returned to Dazhu's hometown, he needed to use a wheelchair and crutches, and was afraid to look at the photos he took on the day he was rescued.
But now he can face the earthquake with a normal heart, "even seeing that photo makes him feel a little funny."
Read, learn, live stream...
Nurturing life at home is colorful
During the recuperation period at home, Gan Yu spent several hours reading every day, and also took the first-level construction engineer exam.
In Gan Yu's bedroom, you can see that there are single beds on both sides of the simple desk in the bedroom, one of which was moved by his father after he was discharged from the hospital in order to take care of Gan Yu.
Although the desk is not big, it is full of various books related to architecture and engineering.
Gan Yu is studying at home.
Photo by Zhang Lang
In Gan Yu's view, studying a lot, striving to improve himself, getting married and having children, and traveling to distant places are all his plans for the future.
After experiencing life and death, he wants to do his best to accomplish what he wants to do so that he will live without regrets.
Gan Yu does housework at home.
Photo by Zhang Lang
In 2022, Gan Yu conducted 12 live broadcasts on online social platforms, and the most live broadcast was watched by more than 100,000 netizens online.
During the live broadcast, netizens often called Gan Yu a "hero".
Faced with this address, Gan Yu smiled and shook his hand.
He said that he is the most ordinary "engineer" and never thought of the title of "hero". He just did his duty and did what he should do.
If I could go back in time, I would still make the same choice.
"Lucky" Gan Woo hopes
“Spend a little more time with family”
Although Gan Yu's life gradually returned to calm, Gan Yu's grandma still couldn't help wiping away tears when asked "how is Yu'er recovering" by relatives and friends who "leaved the house" during the Spring Festival.
"My grandma and I have been together since we were young, so I don't want to see her cry. Anyway, we are already here, so we should think more about happy things in the future." Seeing grandma's sadness, Gan Yu, 28, couldn't help but straighten his back, as if he wanted to tell Grandma, her little grandson has grown into a real man.
Gan Yu does housework at home.
Photo by Zhang Lang
Talking about the past 2022, Gan Yu summed it up with the word "lucky".
"Because I survived and met so many good people, I am really lucky." During the Spring Festival in 2023, Gan Yu plans to share his recovery and life insights with netizens through a live broadcast.
On New Year's Eve, Gan Yu's family sat around for a reunion dinner.
Photo provided by the interviewee
"At that time, apart from wanting to survive, my biggest regret was that I had too little time with my family." Gan Yu said that relatives and friends usually work outside and rarely get together.
Yesterday's New Year's Eve was almost the busiest day in his house. Everyone ate Sichuan eastern farm dishes and looked for scenes about themselves in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala together.
These precious gatherings are in line with his wish in the Year of the Rabbit - "spend more time with family".
Author: He Shaoqing, Zhang Lang, Zhu Huan