The Whistleblower

 

Li Wenliang was an ordinary Chinese young professional before December 30, 2019. The 33-year-old doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital had a successful career and a happy family. Basketball and fried chicken were his favorites.

He was a typical young Chinese elite who enjoyed life and followed every government instruction - no matter how confusing or contradictory the instructions can be. He had been a diligent and honest student throughout his life. As a Chinese Communist Party member, he fully supported the authority's crackdown on Hong Kong protesters.
He did not expect anything to go wrong, like most Chinese who regard themselves as "doing well" under the Communist regime.  

At 4 pm on December 30, Ai Fen, another doctor in Wuhan Central Hospital, sent a picture of a patient report to an internal medical chat group. The report indicated unknown pneumonia caused by a "SARS-like" virus. At 5:17 pm, Li Wenliang forwarded the picture to another medical worker's chat group, explained in detail the symptom and causes of SARS, and reminded others to wear masks. The message quickly spread out on Chinese social media.

The local authority immediately noticed it. At 1:30 am on December 31, the hospital authority and the local police called Li Wenliang for a meeting. During the following days, Li Wenliang and another eight doctors signed official statements and apologized for "spreading lies." The Chinese state television broadcast the apology as news to assure that Wuhan had no risk of a SARS-like outbreak.

The hospital authority asked medical staff not to wear masks at work to "avoid unnecessary panic." They threatened to fire Li Wenliang. Since he admitted "spreading lies" and signed the warranty, he was able to keep his job. Li Wenlian continued to work at Wuhan Central Hospital. On January 8, 2020, without wearing a mask, he treated a glaucoma patient who later was confirmed positive for COVID-19. Two days later, Li Wenliang started to have COVID-19 symptoms. He died on February 7, 2020. Four months later, his widow gave birth to their second son.

Li Wenliang was not a Chinese dissident. He supported every order from the Communist Party, like those who trusted the Party because they were satisfied with their current lives. Human rights do not matter to them. However, they care for their friends and families. But that was also the cause of a tragedy. If Li Wenliang had refused to apologize for "spreading lies," the hospital may have fired him, then he could have survived the pandemic.

That critical social media message he sent could have saved millions of lives. Li's death caused a tsunami on the Chinese internet. The whole world knew his name. On every December 30, we need to remember these whistleblowers and remind ourselves why freedom of speech is essential for humanity, and censored news can kill us.

(Photo Credit: "Li Wenliang" https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/16A3A/production/_110803729_mediaitem110803726.jpg)