While everyone was trying to save himself, he kept knocking at the door.

At the dawn of 18 May, in the community of Shanghongyan, in the Chinese province of Yunnan, Tian Ruliang realized that the time available was very little. The risk of a landslide, caused by earthquake and soil conditions, was becoming more and more concrete.

Without losing an instant, he began to walk the streets of the village in a rainy weather, warning a family after the other to leave their homes immediately.

During the evacuation he was hit by a debris flow, remaining covered with mud. Despite all, he refused to stop and continued his door-to-door lap, decided to verify that no one had stayed behind.

For about thirty minutes he continued without pause, reaching all 21 families of the community.

A few minutes later the confirmation came that his fears were founded. A gigantic mass of land, estimated at about 10,000 cubic meters, overwhelmed the area, destroying numerous houses.

Thanks to the timeliness of evacuation, about 60 residents managed to save themselves before it was too late.

Great tragedies often make news for their destructive force. But sometimes they are also remembered for the courage of those who, instead of thinking about themselves, choose to risk everything to protect others.

It is thanks to people like Tian Ruliang who, in some of the most difficult times, a possible tragedy can turn into a history of saved lives.