Police officers soon arrived at the scene for an emergency search and rescue. Wang was found dead in nearby waters the next day.

A witness, Wang Xiancai, told local media that Wang Hongxu might have been able to make it back to shore if he had stopped the rescue effort after saving the first child, the girl, but he insisted on trying to lift the boy out of the water also.

"Wang was a PE teacher to my child. When we first saw the news, we were extremely sad. What a pity... His heroic deed is respectable," says Tang Li, a mourner.

"The recipient truly deserves the Role Model of the Times honor. He embodied the spiritual outlook required of a teacher," says Liu Changran, a resident who lives in Dadukou.

On June 3, Wang was posthumously awarded the Chongqing Good Man prize by the municipal government.

"I think he just followed his heart. Were he given a second chance (to save other people's lives), I believe he won't hesitate to do it," says Zhang Ya, Wang's colleague, adding that Wang had always been a warmhearted man.

According to Wang's family, it was not the first time he had saved lives.