The police and ambulance are ready to receive Qin Jianping after his rescue.Image: imago
No food, no drinking water, no life jacket – and still alive. A Chinese man survived for days in the sea after falling off a cliff.
June 10, 2026, 08:05June 10, 2026, 08:05
Anna-Lena Janzen / t-online
Qin Jianping’s story is like a miracle. The 39-year-old survived on the open sea for seven days. The wholesaler from the southern Chinese region of Guangxi fell off a cliff during an evening walk. He drifted for seven days and six nights without food or drinking water in the strait between Hainan Island and mainland China. Finally two fishermen discovered him completely exhausted and rescued him from the floods. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua and the news platform “China Daily” report on this.
Qin spoke to “China Daily” about his fight for survival. The accident occurred on the night of May 27 at around 11 p.m. Qin was on vacation in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Island, and was walking in the windy weather Weather along a seawall when he slipped on a discarded fruit bowl and fell into the sea. Even though he could swim, the waves pulled him further and further out to sea, as he himself said.
“The sea is not like a swimming pool,” said Qin. «I couldn’t feel the bottom and huge waves pushed me further and further out. Every time I swam a meter toward shore, the waves pulled me back three or four meters. There was no way to swim back.” To save energy, he took off his shoes, pants, watch and ring and kept himself afloat by treading water and moving his arms. The next morning the bank was no longer visible. Two ships passed near him but did not notice him.
Dozens of raw crabs for food
After more than 40 hours without food or sleep, he managed to climb onto a floating buoy and briefly fall asleep. However, a large wave threw him back into the water.
Out of extreme thirst, he drank sea water and later his own urine. Neither of these things quenched his thirst and he suffered from severe pain. At night he fought against cold and exhaustion. “I curled up into a ball and tried to retain every bit of warmth,” said Qin.
On the fifth day, May 31st, he reached an orange navigation buoy with a large foam base. Too weak to climb up, he clung to it. He discovered nail-sized sea crabs in the cracks of the foam and caught dozens of them with his bare hands to eat them raw. They remained his only source of food.
He was able to hold on to a life buoy, but he didn’t have the strength to climb up. (symbol image)Image: keystone
On the sixth day, his eyes were bloodshot from exposure to the sun and dehydration. Memories of his childhood, his marriage and his family passed him by.
Finally two fishermen, Zheng Shizhong and Fu Tingsan, discovered him. As they steered their boat closer, Qin was lying naked in the water. He was barely responsive. The fishermen held out a four-meter-long boat pole to him and pulled him on board. The journey back to shore took more than an hour. Villagers, police and rescue workers were already waiting on the bank.
The family had given up hope
In Guangxi, Qin’s family had already been frantically searching for him. A friend had traveled to Hainan on May 29 and reported him missing. Police confirmed from surveillance footage that he had fallen into the sea. His wife arrived in Hainan on May 31 and searched the coast for days. Authorities told the family that the chances of survival after more than three days at sea were very slim. His wife later told Chinese media that she had already adjusted to the fact that he was dead. When she finally saw him in the hospital, she burst into tears. He was hardly recognizable.
Qin Jianping is recovering in the hospital after his incredible fight for survival.Image: imago
Qin was admitted to Chengmai County People’s Hospital in critical condition. Doctors found he was severely dehydrated and had multiple infected wounds, as well as mouth ulcers from eating the crabs raw and internal damage from drinking seawater. According to reports, his weight fell from over 85 to around 75 kilograms. After two days in the intensive care unit, his condition stabilized. Doctors expect he can be discharged within a week and will only need routine check-ups after that.
After his recovery, the first thing Qin wants to do is visit the two fishermen to thank them personally. “No matter how dangerous or hopeless things get, if you keep a clear head you can get through it,” he said.
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