The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. on 15/7. Xiao Chu was asleep, and his grandmother had gone to the market, locking the door to prevent him from wandering outside.

When the boy woke up, he went to the bathroom. The window there had no bars and was about 0.5 meters from the toilet. Xiao Chu climbed onto the window and fell.

Residents immediately called the police and rushed the boy to the hospital. Doctors determined he had a broken left arm, spinal injuries, and internal organ damage, but his head was unharmed. Throughout the ordeal, he remained conscious and even asked the doctor to tell his father to buy him toys.

Xiao Chu fell onto the concrete ground from the 18th floor but miraculously survived. Photo: Sina

The boy's father, Chu, learned about the accident through the apartment building's group chat. "Someone posted a picture of my son in the group, and I couldn't believe it until I watched the surveillance camera footage," he said.

Chu speculated that during the fall, Xiao Chu might have struck an open window on the 17th floor, altering his trajectory and causing him to land in a tree, which acted as a cushion, absorbing much of the impact before he hit the ground. "Otherwise, my son would have fallen directly onto the concrete," the father said.

Doctor Wang, head of the emergency department at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University, exclaimed, "It's a miracle that the child survived such a fall."

China records approximately 4,000 fall accidents annually, with children aged 3-6 accounting for over 60% and a 28% mortality rate.

Zhang, a forestry engineer called to the scene, measured the tree's canopy and found it to be over 8 meters wide, with branches spreading out like a cushion, dispersing about 40% of the impact force.

"Like an airbag in a car, the tree absorbed energy through the deformation of its branches and leaves. This kind of natural cushion in high-rise falls is extremely rare," he said.

The expert warned that such luck is unlikely to be repeated. "Last year, a similar incident occurred in another residential area in Hangzhou. The child fell directly onto the cement and died instantly," Zhang said. "Safety nets, window restrictors, and safe window sill heights are the real safety measures to protect children."

Chu tied a red flower to the tree as a gesture of gratitude. Photo: Sina

At the end of July, after his son was discharged from the hospital, Chu tied a large red flower to the Chinese parasol tree to express his gratitude. "The tree cannot speak, but it saved my son's life," he said, placing his hand on the trunk, tears streaming down his face.

The building management shared a video of this gesture with residents, quickly capturing citywide attention. Many parents have brought their children to visit the Chinese parasol tree, calling it the "Hero Tree."

This miraculous story has become a hot topic on social media. In just three days, related topics surpassed 200 million views, and the hashtag "protecting children in high-rise buildings" reached the top 1 search in China.

Bao Nhien (According to Sina)