Anger, Grief Over Death of Chinese Doctor Li Wenliang Who Warned of Coronavirus

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A Chinese doctor who was initially sanctioned for warning about the deadly Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in early January has died, stoking fresh anger online at the Communist Party-led government. #ChinaVirus #Coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak #Wuhan #LiWenliang

For hours, the status of the doctor, Li Wenliang, had been unclear after earlier reports of his death on Chinese social media were deleted and replaced by messages saying he was being treated. Around 3 a.m. Beijing time, Wuhan Central Hospital said that Li was dead “after all efforts to save him failed.”

“Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at our hospital, had unfortunately been infected when he worked on fighting against the coronavirus outbreak,” the hospital said on the Chinese social platform Weibo. He was 34, according to reports in Chinese media.

The Wuhan doctor became well-known after he made a December social media post warning about a SARS-like illness. In the weeks that followed, the virus exploded into the epidemic that has sickened more than 25,000, halted travel across parts of China, and led to the mass quarantine of Wuhan, a city of more than 10 million.

But days after Li’s warning on social media, he was reprimanded by police for rumor-mongering online, according to his social media account. He later announced via social media that he had been infected with the coronavirus.

Responding to the outrage on Friday, China’s top disciplinary body, the National Supervisory Commission, said in a statement that it would send a team to Wuhan to investigate “issues people reported involving Dr. Li Wenliang.” It was approved by the Communist Party Central Committee headed by President Xi Jinping.

Li’s warning, and the police reprimand, have raised questions within China about whether Communist Party authorities could have done more earlier to stop the spread of the infection. His final hours sparked a confusing episode that only reinforced the narrative that Chinese officials were more concerned about stage-managing the message rather than giving transparent updates about developments related to the virus.

The doctor’s death was announced on social media by a Chinese state media-affiliated publication, only to see the posts deleted and replaced by reports that he was still alive. Then hours later he was finally reported dead again by the hospital where he worked.

Chinese netizens accused government authorities of hiding the truth by conjuring up a fake miracle that Li was still alive. The hashtag “I Want Freedom of Speech” picked up amid public anger while these posts were being constantly censored and deleted on Weibo.

Many also typed out the first line of the Chinese national anthem -- “Arise! All those who don’t want to be slaves!” -- and shared the song “Do You Hear the People Sing,” from “Les Miserables,” a musical about people who have taken to the streets to protest against tyranny.

Li Yuchen, an individual blogger who wrote a widely shared piece chronicling Li’s experience, was invited to have a conversation with the police, which he said lasted for 8 hours. According to his account of the experience posted on the Chinese messaging service WeChat, police asked him “Do you love your country?”

The drama started to unfold at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night when a verified neurosurgical doctor at Wuhan Union Hospital first revealed Li’s passing on Weibo in a now-deleted post.

At around 10 p.m. local time, state-run media outlets received a notice to strictly regulate coverage of Li’s condition, avoid issuing alerts and refrain from any commentary, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The Global Times, which is affiliated with the Communist Party’s People’s Daily, posted at 10:44 p.m. Thursday that Li had died. “Global Times’ reporters learned from several sources that Wuhan Central Hospital’s Dr. Li Wenliang died of pneumonia infected by the novel coronavirus tonight,” the outlet said in a post accompanied by a somber image of candles.

Bloomberg News also reported Li’s death, citing a person familiar with the matter and Chinese media.

Roughly an hour after the Global Times’s initial report, the post was deleted from two of its Weibo accounts. Another message mourning the doctor by Hu Xijin, the Global Times’s editor-in-chief, was also removed.

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This is damn shame an a waste of good human being

frankdracman
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sadly he already knew he was signing his own death certificate, whether it was by the coronavirus or the chinese government. RIP

-EchoesIntoEternity-
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Kinda weird this virus magically started after all the protests.
Big power moves boys.

resistance
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This man has my utmost respect. Rest in peace.

Boogaloog
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That was a honorable man. That man was willing to give his life to help others. Who does this nowadays??

SergioMedina
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RIP Doctor Li Wenliang. Any other time in history there would be songs sung about you for hundreds of years. Thank you for caring about humanity

GermAntibody
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He knew too much and they stopped him from telling everyone what they really want to know about the virus

nwoi
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"There is no cure for stupidity"







He tried to help/warn the people but ignored by those people behind the desk who only knows how to fatten their stomach and complain, He was only trying to help. He only wanted to help.

-not all heroes wear cape

ashuraryuuzen
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IDC what you say this man was a fucking hero!

drstraange
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I cried when I learned Dr. Li had passed.

bigspoon
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Rest In Peace doctor and may a God Bless your wife and child.

His.Heart.
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So sad. Bless him for doing the right thing. A lesson we need in the USA right now. May his family be well and thrive.

ellenlewis
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So sad that such a good person couldn’t recover from this disease. The rest I can’t say out loud and that’s all I would say. These are the words that masked guy being interviewed said. So sad, indeed!

johnxie
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First guy in interview is wearing his mask upside down.

Triple_Zero_
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Its a good thing this is being covered. Hope hes not forgotten after this is over

MADPAOFFICIAL
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Honestly this whole thing sounds like the start of a zombie Apocalypse movie

PastorGooch
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Power to the people! This doctor is a hero to not only China but to the rest of the world. He will forever remain in our hearts and in our minds. Stay strong, China! Love from the USA.

ericjing
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Problems go away if you ignore them right 🤷‍♂️

wasim
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I would love to hear about how's his pregnant wife doing. It's so very sad.

slingshot
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The guy who is a world wide hero for spotting this first and speaking up about it was reprimanded!!??What a shame.

mikem.