On the afternoon of 28th June, a young man was drowning in Hanxi river, Chashan. Hearing calls for help, Fei, a 23-year-old Hubei veteran jumped without hesitation into the river and managed to rescue the drowning man. The man was saved but unfortunately Fei lost his life.

According to Huang (Fei's uncle), Fei and he were taking a lunch break in his repair store when they heard the cries for help. They immediately rushed to the bank, and saw that a man was drowning. Huang said Fei was a good swimmer, so was not surprised he was first to jump into the water to save the man. He called the police and then joined the rescue after returning to the store to get car tyres (inner tubes) as life-buoys.

However, when Huang returned with the inner tubes, he saw both the drowning young man and Fei drifting with the stream. Soon, the rescue team arrived and rushed to save them. The man was helped ashore, but Fei had gradually submerged below the water. "It happened in a flash, and disappeared in a few minutes." The team continued searching for Fei until 22:00 that night. The next morning, more rescue boats and workers joined the rescue effort. Around 15:00 on 29th June, Fei's body was found. Unfortunately, medical personnel confirmed that he had no vital signs.