This moving picture captures the moment an air hostess reduced an elderly disabled man to tears when she fed him on a flight.
The kind-hearted stewardess – Fan Xuesong – knelt down to feed Mr Niu, 71. The People’s Daily Online reported that he has suffered a stroke and is unable to hold a spoon.
Speaking to local media after the image touched the hearts of millions across China, Miss Fan said: “When I said I wanted to feed him, he suddenly felt touched and started to cry. The old man worked hard all his life, did contribute to society, we should be kind to him.”
The heart-wrenching incident took place on a passenger jet heading from Zhengzhoi to Haikou in China.
Further details emerged about Mr Niu, that he was a retired professor of medicine and a stroke left him partially paralysed and wheelchair bound. His wife – who was travelling with him – and child are now his sole carers.
Fan explained how she had moved the man to a seat at the front of plane to give him more space and put him closer to the bathroom. However, his wife was not given a priority seat and the pair had to sit apart.
She made sure the man was being properly cared for and gave him noodles after trying to feed him rice which was too hard to chew.
A passenger captured the act of kindness on his phone and uploaded the photo to Chinese social network, Weibo, where it has gone on to be shared millions of times.
Mr Niu told reporters: “I couldn’t help but cry as she helped me eat, blew my nose and wiped away my tears.”
A bit of faith in humanity restored.
