Man in China loses part of his nose while trying to save woman from assault
A 69-year-old man from Hunan Province is being hailed as a hero after intervening to stop a violent attack on a woman.
However, his brave act cost him part of his nose, which had reportedly been bitten off by the assailant.
Rushed forward to save woman being attacked by man
The incident happened at around 6am on 11 April in Zengjia Village, Puman Township, Chenzhou.
A man burst into the village and attacked a woman, locking his hands around her neck.
Onlookers called the police but feared the woman could be asphyxiated before help arrived.
At that moment, Zeng Fanlin (name transliterated from Mandarin) rushed to the scene.
An eyewitness said a few villagers went to help restrain the assailant because he was incredibly vicious.
Attacker bit off his nose and swallowed it
During the struggle, the attacker bit off a portion of Mr Zeng’s nose and then swallowed it, reported HK01.
Despite bleeding heavily from his nose, Mr Zeng kept the suspect pinned until police arrived.
Source: CCTV 13
The perpetrator was taken into custody, while Mr Zeng was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment.
“When I got to the hospital, I was in so much pain that I almost lost consciousness,” he said, according to The Paper.
Required to undergo several surgeries over 6 months
Doctors reported that a large portion of soft tissue from the tip and wings of Mr Zeng’s nose was missing, requiring a complex reconstruction.
He is expected to undergo a four- to five-stage surgery process over the span of six months.
Source: CCTV 13
Even after two surgeries and more than 80 days of recovery, Mr Zeng continues to endure post-operative pain.
Mr Zeng’s daughter believes her father would still rush forward to help if a similar incident happened again.
“My mom said he would definitely do it again next time because it wasn’t the first time,” she shared. “As his child, I think my dad is a hero, and I am proud of him.”
Formally recognised for his heroic act
Mr Zeng has a history of protecting his community.
His daughter shared that he had previously helped police catch a thief 11 years ago.
He also served as the village security chief and grassroots mediator, helping maintain public order.
At the time of the attack, he had been leading efforts to repair the village’s water well.
Source: CCTV 13
The local government immediately arranged a green channel for Mr Zeng’s medical care, covering all of his treatment expenses.
Because of his courageous actions, his name has also been added to the list of “Heroes of Courageous Intervention” for the second quarter of 2026.
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Featured image adapted from CCTV 13 on Weibo.
