The mud flat on the island where the drunken Russian sailor was found by a Zhoushan islander [Photo/WeChat account: zhoushanwanbao]

A drunken Russian was saved from the cold winter weather by a Zhoushan resident in the early hours of Dec 10.

It was dark outside at 3:40 before dawn on Dec 10, when a local resident surnamed Liu was awakened by loud barks of his dog at a small island near Changzhi Island in the New Town of Zhoushan. 

Liu, a local resident in his fifties who works on aquatics breeding on the island, was shocked at seeing a yellow-hair and blue-eyed young man lying on the mud flat. 

Liu immediately took the conscious but weak Russian to his cabin, to change him, cover him with a warm blanket and give him a bowl of hot porridge. 

Liu tried to initiate communication with him, but it was in vain, as he seemed unable to understand Chinese. 

At a second thought, Liu called his friend Yu Jian from Dinghai district of the city, who drove his boat to pick up the Russian the next morning and sent him to the passenger terminal in Changzhi Island. 

Yu tried to talk with him in English, but still failed, as the lad seemed unable to speak English, either. Yu had no choice but to call the police of the New Town. 

After an inquiry by the police, it was determined that he is a Russian sailor. The ship that he worked on was being repaired on a nearby island. 

He fell into the sea after drinking heavily at 23:00 on Dec 9 and drifted to the island where Liu lives about a kilometer away. 

"The lad was drifting on the cold sea for a couple of hours. It was fortunate that he was found by Liu," said Yu. 

When the sailor tried to offer a reward, Yu and Liu declined in a polite manner. 

"This is what we should do. We’d like to leave him an impression that Zhoushan is not only a beautiful city, but also a helpful city," said Yu.

A local Zhoushan resident surnamed Liu covers the Russian sailor with a warm blanket. [Photo/WeChat account: zhoushanwanbao]

Yu Jian, a friend of Liu from Dinghai district, calls the police of the New Town for help. [Photo/WeChat account: zhoushanwanbao]