GUIYANG – The local government plans to reward a teenage girl, who saved an 11-year-old boy from drowning in a river in Southwest China's Guizhou province's capital city, despite the weather slumping to zero on Tuesday night.

Xiang Xinyuan, took a walk with her pet dog along the Nanming river around 8 pm that night as usual, making a break from her heavy homework. The 16-year-old was a senior high school student, preparing for the university entrance examination in June.

Xiang was enjoying a relaxing moment until she saw a round-faced boy shouting for help with his hands waving desperately in the air.

Xiang told China Daily on Friday that she did not think much before she jumped into the water.

"The river water was freezing but it also helped me to calm down and try to remember some life-saving techniques from TV programs I watched," said Xiang.

She tried her best to swim towards the boy who was struggling in the water and asked him to calm down. After reaching him, Xiang lifted the boy's head and swam back.

"When approaching the bank, I felt my body start to sink as I did not have time to remove some of my clothes and shoes at the start," Xiang recalled.

With the help of several passers-by along the riverside, Xiang pulled the boy out of the water successfully.

"The TV plays were too boring, so I went out," recalled the rescued boy Xianxian (not his real name), who was playing along the river and suddenly fell into the water on Tuesday night.

"I really appreciate what the brave girl has done for my son. Without her help, my son could have died," said Xianxian's mother surnamed Li.

As migrant workers in Guiyang city, Li and her husband worked around the clock to make money, and were unable to spare much time to take care of their son, who was often left alone at home watching TV.