Latest news with #ChineseCouple
CNA
10-06-2025
- Health
- CNA
27 years after her road accident, a Singaporean searches for the couple who saved her life
There is often no telling what cues would trigger which memories long buried. You could catch a whiff of someone's perfume on the bus, and just like that, remember the year it took to get over an ex who smelled the same, along with the hobbies you picked up to fill the void. In cognitive psychology, this phenomenon is known as an involuntary autobiographical memory chain. These spontaneous recollections unfold as a sequence of associated memories, each one triggering the next, without conscious effort. Often, these memories come and go – reminders of the life we've lived – with little need to act upon them. For one Singaporean woman, however, a mix of seemingly inconsequential and unrelated cues recently evoked memories of her cycling accident 27 years ago, prompting a search for the couple whom she believes saved her life then. THE CYCLING ACCIDENT Jacqueline Gan was 24 when she was hit by a car while cycling. The accident happened at the junction of Marymount Road and Marymount Lane at 6.15am on Dec 18, 1998. Gan recalled being lifted 'some distance into mid-air', before collapsing onto the ground. Despite her light-headedness, she remembered seeing 'a lot of blood' flowing from her face onto her blue Catholic Junior College T-shirt – and then, a car stopped beside her. The Chinese couple who stepped out of the vehicle were 'uttering in Singlish Mandarin, wondering who could've knocked me over, and said they needed to quickly bring me to the hospital', she recounted to CNA Lifestyle, after reaching out via email in May, hoping to get her story heard. 'I was just so dazed and helpless, I just got brought into the car. And that was it.' In her state, Gan didn't get the couple's names or any identifying details, or a chance to thank them. She only remembers they'd ferried her to the nearby Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), before she was transferred to Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) accident and emergency unit. In total, she estimates getting around 60 to 70 stitches on her face – including her gums, mouth, nose, cheeks and the area around her eyes. 'I was 24 then. I'd just started my career, and things were very good. I was also improving my relationship with my brother. I'd go cycling with him, so that cycling equipment (the bicycle I was riding when I was hit) was very important to me,' she shared. 'And then this happened. Why did this happen?' It's a question she's still unable to answer, although Gan, now 51, has found her own closure since relocating to Hong Kong in 2001. She stopped cycling on public roads to ease her mum's worries, but rediscovered her love for running, having once represented her school as a sprinter in her youth. Running outdoors gave her the 'physical and mental closure' she was seeking. 'Every now and then, I will think about this accident, about the impact it had on me and my family, and how it spurred me on to other activities,' she added. 'But even when I'd write (in my blog) about the accident, I still didn't think about the doctors or the couple.' INCIDENT THAT LED TO SEARCH FOR COUPLE That is, until a simple incident in March this year gave her a new perspective. Gan was in Johor Bahru with her husband and now-elderly mum when, while carrying her mum's groceries, she felt something shift in the bag. Instead of looking down to readjust the goods, she instinctively reached in to identify the item – and experienced a flashback. 'That moment brought me back to those days after the accident, when I had to move around the home using my sense of touch without visual help,' she said, noting her eyesight had been temporarily affected by her injuries. 'And because I was focused on my sense of touch now – instead of how the overall accident affected me and my family, like I usually do – I was looking at the accident from another perspective.' One memory unlocked another. Gan recalled that the couple had been around her mum's age when they rescued her, so they were 'not young' anymore, and felt compelled to try and reach out to them. In May, she wrote to the Traffic Police (TP) but was told there were no records of the couple's names – they weren't witnesses to the accident. Neither did the hospitals, both TTSH and SGH, have their identity. She reached out to them, hoping to thank the surgeons who operated on her, though that search has proven futile too as she never got their names decades ago. Her medical documents were also disposed of when her mum moved house. The only physical artefact from the time was a letter from TP, dated about a year after the accident, which she showed CNA Lifestyle. The driver, who was unnamed in the letter, was eventually fined for 'removing the vehicle without the authority of a police officer', the letter stated. She had decided not to press charges, she said. 'If I can live on – fortunately that's the case – it's okay. I don't want to pursue more.' 'I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID FOR ME' Gan knows the chances of finding the couple now are slim, even with the power of social media. But having found meaning in helping others, especially during the pandemic, she recognises the ripple effect of a single act of goodwill. In her case, the couple's help was 'the first step that allowed me to survive to this day', she said. 'I would not have been able to help others if not for them. If they didn't help me at that time, I cannot imagine what would happen because I lost so much blood.' After the accident, Gan and her husband pursued their Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) before starting a company in Hong Kong focused on risk and security projects. The language enthusiast also picked up German and French, travelled widely, and built a purposeful, expansive life – one that ultimately surpassed the career she once believed had been derailed. 'So, a lot of things are possible for me to explore. I don't know why it took me such a long time to realise that maybe I should really thank the people who helped me in the first place, to allow me to be doing what I am doing now,' she said. 'I'd like to let them know I'm doing good. And I want to thank them for what they did for me, because I can live to this age and still do more.'
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Gay Chinese couple fulfil wedding dream in ‘freer' Thailand: ‘more inclusive to our community'
When Wang Zengyi, 41, and Song Jihan, 29, first met at a friend's dinner party in China , it was love at first sight. 'I thought he was handsome and pure,' says Wang. 'Our love has deepened over time.' Nearly three years later, the gay Chinese couple are getting married in Thailand , which became Asia's largest nation to legalise same-sex marriage earlier this year – including for foreign couples. They are among the first Chinese LGBTQ pairs to tie the knot in the Southeast Asian country as it celebrates its first Pride since the law's passage. 'Thailand is a freer country,' said Wang after they signed their marriage certificate at a Bangkok registry office. 'It's also more inclusive to our community.' He believes they are the first gay Chinese couple to host a full wedding ceremony in Thailand, but that 'gradually' more will follow in their footsteps.
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Life here is not safe': Children charged after couple attacked in horror video
Seven children have been charged after sickening footage captured the moment a Chinese woman and her husband were violently attacked by a group of youths in a Sydney apartment complex. The couple, a 40-year-old man and 42-year-old woman who moved from Shanghai to Sydney last August, were allegedly assaulted inside the courtyard of an apartment complex in Eastgardens, in the city's east on Wednesday, police said. The woman, a pharmaceutical worker who has not been publicly identified, told the ABC she was with her husband searching for lost keys when a young boy approached her. Moments later, she said a group of teenagers gathered around the couple and began attacking her after she challenged them for swearing. 'The process was so fast. I didn't really know who these people were, and I hadn't done anything to hurt them,' she said. 'I could feel kicks and punches to my back, my head, my eyes and my arms and legs.' Video of the incident, filmed by nearby residents, shows the woman on the ground as she is hit and kicked by multiple people. A man attempts to intervene, but appears to also get struck. The woman eventually manages to sit up but is kicked in the face before the group flees. A woman with her dog was seen rushing over to help the woman. The couple were treated by paramedics for facial injuries and taken to the hospital, police said. They have since been discharged. Police on Friday charged three teenagers – two girls aged 14 and a 13-year-old boy – with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the company of other(s) and affray. All three were granted conditional bail to appear at a children's court next month. It came after police charged two 12-year-old girls, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl over the incident on Thursday. The boy was charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of other(s) and affray. Six of the seven children are currently before the courts. 'Life here is not safe' The woman said the incident had tarnished her 'impression of this country'. 'I still believe that most people in this country are good, including many people who came forward to help me after I was attacked,' she said. 'But after the incident, I feel the life here is not safe, because you may be attacked without warning.' The video sparked outrage on social media, with many claiming the couple were targeted because of their racial background. 'This more or less confirms my concerns about the rise of racism and anti-China sentiment around the world,' one person wrote on social media. 'Racism plain and simple,' said another. In a statement to police said 'the incident is not believed to be racially motivated'. 'Everyone in the community has the right to feel safe. Police urge anyone who has been the victim of a crime or fear for their safety to contact triple-0 immediately.' Police are not looking for any other persons in relation to the assault.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Major update after unbelievable video of couple being attacked by a group of kids as young as 12 shocked Australia
Five youths, some as young as 12, have been arrested after a woman was rushed to hospital after being targeted in an unprovoked attack in Sydney. The woman, 42, and a 40-year-old man, were ambushed inside the courtyard of a unit complex on Oscar Place, in Eastgardens, on Wednesday. In shocking CCTV of the attack, the woman is seen being pushed to the ground and repeatedly hit and kicked as the man called for help and tried to block the blows. The attack continued until a passerby with a dog rushed to help the couple. Police told Daily Mail Australia that despite online reports, there was no information to suggest the couple had been targeted because of their racial background. It comes after the video was shared to TikTok on Wednesday with the caption: 'In Australia, a Chinese couple was surrounded and brutally attacked by over 20 teenagers in the street - just because they spoke Chinese'. 'This isn't an isolated case - there have been similar attacks in Redfern and Waterloo. The police don't care. The media ignores it. 'If we don't speak up, who will?' The couple were taken to Maroubra Police Station where they were treated by paramedics for facial injuries before being taken to Prince of Wales Hospital. They have since been discharged. Two 12-year-old girls were charged on Thursday over the incident and remain before the courts. After further investigations, another five children were arrested. A 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were arrested on Friday evening after attending Maroubra Police Station. The boy was charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of other(s) and affray. He was granted conditional bail to attend a children's court on June 16 while the 16-year-old girl will likely be dealt with under the Younger Offenders Act at a later date. A further two 14-year-old girls and a 13-year-old boy attended Maroubra Police Station where they were arrested and each charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of other(s) and affray. They have been granted conditional bail to appear at a children's court, The 14-year-boy is due to appear at a children's Court on June 16 while the 11 and 13-year-olds are due to appear on June 23. Police are not looking for any other people in relation to the assault.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Couple is surrounded and bashed by group of teens in alleged racist attack - as the footage goes viral in China
Horrifying footage has emerged of a gang of youths attacking and spitting on a Chinese couple in a Sydney playground. At least a dozen youths were seen tackling a woman to the ground and repeatedly hitting and kicking her in a video of the attack shared to TikTok on Thursday. Her male companion is seen on the phone, presumably calling for help, while desperately trying to block some of the violent blows. The woman was punched and kicked for almost a minute before the youths fled the playground after a passerby with a dog intervened. 'Can you believe this?' the caption of the video read. 'In Australia, a Chinese couple was surrounded and brutally attacked by over 20 teenagers in the street - just because they spoke Chinese. 'This isn't an isolated case - there have been similar attacks in Redfern and Waterloo. The police don't care. The media ignores it. 'If we don't speak up, who will?' The video was also shared on Reddit where viewers were left fuming. 'Enough is enough,' one person wrote. 'In the past few days, Chinese social media has been flooded with videos and posts of Asian students getting violently attacked around Eastgardens. Spat on, shoved, kicked to the ground, beaten while doing nothing but living their everyday lives. 'People are terrified to even defend themselves because they're scared of visa issues. This is racism. This is violence. This is assault. And these teenage thugs? They face zero consequences because they're "just kids".' Another claimed 'because the victims are international students, migrants, or just quiet Asians trying to keep their heads down, nothing happens'. 'This isn't just harmless teenage mischief. This is targeted, racial violence, and we're sick of watching it happen while the system turns a blind eye,' they said. 'Honestly, these little thugs know they can get away with anything, so they do. It's racism and it's largely targeted towards Asians. The silence on it from the media and lack of accountability these criminals face is a disgrace,' another said. Another video of youths outside Green Square Station in Alexandria showed the group terrorising staff in a nearby McDonalds before they were removed. Others speculated the gang was behind other disruptions at Bondi Junction Westfield and in Ultimo, near Sydney's CBD. 'Apparently the same group of teens have been harassing and attacking Asians across a number of Sydney suburbs,' one person wrote. 'Just saw another video of them in a Maccas in Zetland.'
