Lin Hao

The town of YingXiu, after the earthquake. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/may/20/china.chinaearthquake (Jonathan Watts))

2:47 pm, May 12th, 2008 - the little town of YingXiu goes about its daily life, functioning per usual. Children are at school, adults at work or commuting around the city. Two minutes and one 7.9 earthquake later, what once was a city is little more than a pile of rubble, a grave for many hundreds and a source of despair for thousands more.

Lin Hao, 9 years old at the time, had been walking in the hallway with two other classmates when their world shook and collapsed around them, trapping them under the heavy debris and knocking the other two students unconscious. "I tried as hard as I could to climb out," said Lin Hao when asked about his actions. "And after I had climbed out I pulled a classmate out." He then went back into the wreckage another time to carry the second student to safety.

Already, we can see that Lin Hao is a hero. He saved the lives of two individuals, but when asked why he decided to risk his life to help others, he replied that it was his job. He was the hall-monitor and class leader, and was therefore obligated to protect his classmates.

Lin Hao, a year after the earthquake. (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-05/12/content_7765767.htm (Chen Jia))

There are reports of him going further in his acts of heroism - encouraging the surviving students to sing, intent on keeping their spirits up while waiting for aid to arrive, while he himself was uncertain of the future. There's much to be said about his family's acts of heroism, as well. Assuming that their parents were lost, Lin and his two sisters hiked for 7 hours to reach aid in a larger city, while his parents, although unaware of their children's whereabouts, stayed in YingXiu to help with relief efforts, searching for survivors in the ruins.

And today? Today, Lin Hao is considered a hero all over China. He was at the Beijing Olympics, walking beside Yao Ming and riding on his shoulders occasionally. He was awarded the title of one China's heroic youth, and currently, at the age of 13, has a successful career as a child actor.