From NPR:
The Nanjing Bridge was once hailed as a triumph of Chinese engineering — the longest road and railway bridge in the world. Now it has a different type of notoriety: The span, which crosses the Yangste River in Nanjing, China, has become a popular suicide spot.
The bridge is unbearably hot and noisy and the sun beats down on tourists posing for pictures against the shoulder-high railings. Behind them, it’s a long drop to the muddy, brown waters of the Yangtse.
For the past three years, one man has chosen to spend every weekend patrolling the bridge. During the week, Chen Si is a manager in a transport company. But on the weekends, he patrols the span, seeking out the despairing and the depressed to stop them from throwing themselves over the bridge. So far he has saved ninety-nine lives, sometimes even putting his own in danger. [Full Text]
See also On a Bridge of Sighs, the Suicidal Meet a Staying Hand by Jim Yardley, and Good Samaritan patrols China’s suicide bridge by AFP.