BEIJING, May 25 -- A young man tried to impress his girlfriend by swimming to the middle of a river using one hand while holding a bunch of red roses with the other.

    Yang, 27, of Zhejiang province, was hoping to keep the girl after they've been together for four months.

    On Tuesday morning, he swam 40 m and then climbed up a contrete island in the middle of the river posing as The Thinker, a famous work by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, for at least 30 minutes. He asked police to bring his girlfriend to see him otherwise he wouldn't leave.

    The girl, Wang, 23, of Jilin province, showed up but wasn't flattered with Yang's scheme.

    (Source: China Daily/Modern Jinbao)