The horse lay dying on the railroad tracks; a train was racing towards it. A valiant PLA soldier tried to coax the animal away, but it refused. If the train hit the horse, he feared, there would be a massive accident and many lives lost.

The train sped towards them. He looked from the horse to the train, gauging speed and distance. Frantic, the train sounded its horn. In a last ditch, Herculean effort the soldier shoved the animal out of the train’s path, but not fast enough to save himself. His act and sacrifice are remembered by this statue on a lonely hilltop, over the market town of Guiyang, Hunan Province, China.