A British envoy has been hailed as a hero in China after diving into a fast-flowing river to save a drowning woman.
Video of the daring rescue racked up tens of millions of views on social media.
The UK's mission in Chongqing on Monday said that consul general Stephen Ellison was walking by a river in a nearby village and saw the woman fall into the river.
The 61-year-old diplomat, who is also a triathlete, dived in to rescue the tourist.
"Due to the timely rescue, the woman quickly recovered her breathing and consciousness," a post on the embassy's official Weibo page read.
Video by onlookers showed the woman struggle in the strong current, disappear and then emerge face down, apparently unconscious, reports say.
In a tweet Monday, the UK diplomatic mission in China said it was "immensely proud." Ellison himself said the female student was terrified, the Guardian reported.
The diplomat said the woman was unconscious and wasn't breathing. "But as we got back to the side she started breathing again," BBC quoted Ellison as saying of the rescue.
The rescue has been widely shared on Chinese social media, with commentators calling Ellison a "hero," "role model," and "uncle" - a phrase used to show respect.
The woman is recovering from and reports suggest that her family has invited Ellison for dinner.
Ellison has lived in China for nine years and has worked as an engineer for 30 years. The father-of-two is a cyclist, skier and once rode a motorcycle through the Himalayas. He is originally from Newcastle.
The hashtag "British consul general in Chongqing saves female student who drowned in the water" has gained nearly 40 million acknowledgments on Weibo.
