High school student commended for using his body as human shield to protect grandmother during earthquake

A high school student who shielded his grandmother when a destructive 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan 11 days ago was awarded a certificate of commendation for filial piety today, September 26, and his actions will become part of the curriculum in his school’s moral education course.

Video footage of Qin Tangyan using his body as a human shield to protect his grandmother when the earthquake shook the family’s 6th-floor apartment in Kaohsiung City at 9:41 pm, September 17, went viral after Qin’s cousin shared it on social media.

Qin told reporters that he was in bed when the 6.4 magnitude quake struck. He quickly ran out to the living room where his grandmother was sitting on the sofa watching TV . Fearful that the ceiling fan or other objects could fall on his 74-year-old grandmother, Qin bent over and shielded her. Qin said that he didn’t think about his actions, but acted intuitively in protecting his grandmother, who had taken care of him since he was a small child.

Unexpectedly, Qin’s cousin was recording the shaking of the apartment with his phone, and happened to capture the moment Qin used himself as a human shield. After uploading the footage to the Internet, the video quickly went viral, drawing praise from all quarters.

Chung-Shan Industrial & Commercial School Principal Lin Zhaoyi praised the third-year student’s filial piety and courage when awarding the certificate today, and said that Qin’s actions will be included as a case study example in the school’s moral education curriculum.

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