Zhang Haofeng and Meng Ying were married at a ceremony in Xinyang city, Henan Province on Oct 14. As Zhang slowly walked towards his new bride singing a heartfelt song, Meng was moved to tears.

Such a seemingly ordinary scene actually has an exceptional backstory.

An accident in which a ship sank off the coast of Phuket Island, Thailand in early July attracted considerable media attention due to the large number of Chinese tourists on board, Zhang and Meng included. As the ship went down, Zhang sent his girlfriend to the lifeboat before rescuing other tourists. Zhang survived, and later returned home with his future wife.

The wedding was warm and romantic according to guests, with one attendee saying, "This couple has already gone through the test of life and death and decided to work together for the future. I'm sure they will be happy."

Zhang and Meng traveled to Phuket Island in early July of this year, and the wedding was already planned for their return. However, at 17:45 local time on July 5, heavy rain hit their cruise while they were on the way back to the island. Panic overcame those on board when the ship began to shake violently. At a critical moment, Zhang sent his girlfriend to the lifeboat without any hesitation, leaving himself in great danger.

Zhang, stuck on the sinking ship after helping other passengers, was forced to abandon it and jump into the turbulent ocean, but was quickly swept far by the waves. At the same time, he saw an old couple in the sea.

"The aunt said she couldn't swim and was frightened," Zhang said, so he kept comforting her. The couple was rescued after Zhang pushed them towards a rescue boat, but he found himself swept away for the second time.　

Zhang recalled that as the lifeboat returned to shore, he could only float and hope to be rescued. He came across a crew member, and they drifted in the water together for about 15 hours. It was not until the next morning when a fishing boat discovered them, and they were finally rescued.

“He’s a hero,” said Meng after the breathtaking incident. Their story has been called a modern-day "Titanic" by Chinese netizens.