Getting certified as a citizen rescuer in contemporary China. A virtue established and represented after the event at the local administration level

In this article, we follow the story of Hui Yingke, a Chinese citizen who submitted an application to the local government in order to receive a title for trying to stop an attack in 2012. As the story of his helping behavior evolves, different kinds of audiences form around it. This case study allows us to look closer at the workings of the national public policy that aims to regulate public participation in law and order by weighing in on the meaning given to civilians’ deeds of rescue.