Two ordinary men in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, who lent helping hands to people in distress, have been lauded for their heroic deeds.

One man, who rescued a drowning girl, is Liu Lei. The 48-year-old Qingdao native spotted a little girl falling into the sea off the Zhanqiao Pier on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Liu immediately took off his down coat and went into the water.

Grabbing an arm of the girl, Liu swam back to the shore in about a minute, bringing the girl to safety.

"This is quite normal in Qingdao. Anyone would give a helping hand under such circumstances," Liu said.

Another hero is surnamed Wang, who is a volunteer in the Zhanqiao Pier scenic area.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, eight tourists got stranded on sea rocks near the Zhanqiao Pier. With sea water rising fast, the tourists faced imminent danger.

Seeing the dire situation, Wang entered the water right away. He first carried a 9-year-old on his own back and brought her to safety. But, since the rest of tourists stranded were all adults, Wang lied prone in the cold water, and let the tourists step on his body to go back to the shore.

"My body got wet, but I helped save eight people. That's what I should have done," Wang said.