A French family's gift of life

The parents of a young French man, who died in China last week, left for France on Thursday, but their son's legacy will remain in the Middle Kingdom.

Keen to learn Chinese, the 22 year-old man, who has been affectionately named Xiao Ao, came to China earlier this year.

Unfortunately, while traveling to Lunar New Year celebrations on Feb. 17, he was involved in a serious accident that left him with serious brain damage.

Despite efforts to save him, Xiao died on Tuesday at a hospital in Hangzhou City, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Xiao's parents had hoped their son could return to France to see his family one last time but doctors advised that he was unlikely to survive the journey.

After his death, Xiao's parents decided to leave lifesaving gifts to the country their son was so passionate about. They contacted the Red Cross Society of China and said that they wanted to donated their son's organs.

His liver, both kidneys and lungs were donated to four Chinese patients.

The couple hoped that in death their beloved son could save the lives of others, Cao from the Red Cross said

The story has left a lasting impression on the country.

"Love has no boundaries. The family has taken home [...] the thanks and respect of all Chinese," user Xiuxingzhe wrote on China's microblog Sina Weibo.

A Weibo user, Ruojinxiaoxiao, said that organ donation was a natural extension of life. Hopefully, he said, this would help to change attitudes to organ donation in China and encourage more people to sign up.

China has the world's second highest demand for organ transplants. About 300,000 patients suffer from organ failure each year, but only around 10,000 transplant operations are performed annually due to a lack of donors, said Chinese doctor Sui Weiguo.

"He loves China. This way, he can stay there forever," said Xiao's parents, who did not want to reveal their son's real name. They added that he would be proud of their decision.