A heroic young man jumped into a cold river to rescue a four-year-old boy who accidentally fell in in eastern China.

In the CCTV video, captured in the county of Songyang in Zhejiang Province on March 1, a boy suddenly dropped into a river when three of them were playing at the edge.

The boy's nine-year-old brother then shouted for help and a nearby young man ran to him immediately.

The young man can be seen jumping into the water without hesitation and carrying the four-year-old back to safety.