Netizens called Wu Juping, a female worker in Hangzhou, the "most beautiful mother" for saving a two-year-old girl from falling down 10 floors without thinking of her own safety. Wu is back in the limelight for deciding to keep the reward of 200,000 yuan (US$31,700) instead of donating it like previous public role models, and has set the Internet abuzz again, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

Media reports made Wu a public hero. But she remains a worker, a poor post-1980s citizen from the countryside who needs to take care of her parents and pay her house mortgage. Wu is a good Samaritan, not a superwoman, and she has the right to lead a better life with the money she has got as reward.

Her decision will not only save society from getting another selfless role model, but also restore the image of a normal good Samaritan. In judging charity and love, we tend to forget that a person should not ignore the needs of his/her near and dear ones while helping others. Only thus can good Samaritans inspire others to come to people's help.

The media are always keen on building heroes who sacrifice their own interests for others as an ideal show of collectivism.

But it is irrational to exaggerate selfless spirit and make it a social and moral standard. In fact, such a role model would deter others from following in his/her footsteps.

(China Daily 01/10/2012 page9)