The use of an on-campus automated external defibrillator (AED) has saved the life of a 24-year-old student in China. This highlight the success of a national public welfare initiative to strengthen China school safety.
Nationwide three-year initiative rolls out AEDs and first-aid studios
The incident occurred at a campus dormitory of Qiongtai Normal University in Hainan province. When a roommate noticed the student showing signs of cardiac arrest and immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
A fellow student then deployed an AED, one of 400 devices donated to normal universities and special education schools under a public welfare project. The device delivered a life-saving electric shock, and the student regained a heartbeat and breathing before paramedics arrived.
The successful rescue highlights the impact of a Ministry of Education initiative to boost first-aid preparedness in primary and secondary schools nationwide. With support from charitable donations, the programme promotes first-aid knowledge, and installs life-saving.
According to a ministry notice, it provides skills training to protect young students. Under the three-year initiative, schools in regions with limited first-aid resources will receive AEDs.
Meanwhile, authorities will also establish first-aid education studios in every district and county nationwide. Each will be equipped with three sets of AED trainers and mannequins.
The project will roll out in phases, starting with eleven provincial-level regions, including Beijing. It also includes Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, who will participate in 2026.
“Another 11 regions will join in 2027, with the remaining 10 coming on board in 2028. Each first-aid education studio will train four instructors, building a professional teaching workforce.”
Provincial education authorities will organise tailored first-aid training for different school levels. This is to ensure primary school students receive classroom instruction while secondary school students gain practical skills .
Survival rate below 1% as Tencent backs ¥106m school safety drive
A survey by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases puts China’s sudden cardiac death incidence at 41.84 per 100,000 people. This is about 544,000 cases annually, or roughly 1,500 per day, with an out-of-hospital survival rate below one percent.
The project, guided by the ministry’s basic education department, receives a 106 million yuan ($15.4 million) donation from Chinese technology company Tencent. It is implemented by the China Teacher Development Foundation.
The project aims to install 6,400 AEDs and establish more than 5,700 first-aid education studios across all 31 provincial regions.
Vice-Minister of Education Wang Jiayi stressed the importance of a collaborative effort to safeguard students’ safety and promote healthy development. He called for coordinated cross-sector action, broader participation, and the use of technology.
Similarly, Zhang Dongyan, secretary-general of the China Teacher Development Foundation, said the project emerged from multiple rounds of research and deliberation. This has resulted in a comprehensive implementation plan.
She further added that the foundation would leverage its platform advantages and professional expertise. This is to strengthen project management and explore effective models for campus first-aid education.
Xi Dan, a senior vice-president at Tencent, said the company would use its technological strengths to connect campus first-aid resources. He explain that it will be achieve through digital platforms, enabling a shift from occasional to on-demand emergency response.
In another development, China has dispatched the first shipment of 60,000 tonnes of rice to Cuba amid worsening food crisis. The first shipments, including 4,800 tons, began arriving in January 2026.