On December 15, Chinese anti-human trafficking volunteer Shang Guanzheng revealed on his social media account that someone was planning to offer a 20 million yuan reward to have him killed. The backers involved are said to include the son of the director of Jiangqiao Hospital in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, multiple medical equipment suppliers, and other stakeholders in hospitals. Sources indicate that the murder plot is still ongoing.
Shang Guanzheng posted on Weibo, saying, “A netizen from Xiangyang, Hubei Province, told me while he was detained in a detention center, he was held together with the son of Director Ye from Jiangqiao Hospital in Xiangyang, who was involved in selling birth certificates last year. During their detention, they conspired and raised 20 million yuan as a reward for my life.”
“He also mentioned that he almost took on this ‘business’ back then, but the funds were not in place. He said he has now come out and turned over a new leaf, but the plan inside is still ongoing, and he wished me good luck.” Shang Guanzheng said.
Chat records show that Shang Guanzheng questioned the source of this 20 million yuan “bounty,” and the netizen explained that the money was not coming from the individual son of Mr. Ye, but rather from multiple medical equipment suppliers implicated in the case, along with other related hospitals, pooling resources together.
According to Shang Guanzheng in a video disclosure, the netizen has been released from prison and has stated that he will not participate in this “bounty for a life” action. However, the netizen also informed Shang Guanzheng that relevant individuals are still plotting this in prison and reminded him to stay safe. Shang Guanzheng said he will not stop his anti-human trafficking efforts due to threats.
Furthermore, the netizen told mainland media, “The police have contacted him personally, and he will actively cooperate with the investigation.”
As observed by the reporter, based on the netizen’s Douyin profile information, he is currently employed in a human resources company in Xiangyang. However, the netizen’s Douyin account is currently restricted from publishing content.
The aforementioned incident involving the sale of birth certificates by Jiangqiao Hospital in Xiangyang dates back to November 6, 2023, when Shang Guanzheng publicly exposed that after more than a year of undercover investigation, Director Ye Yuzhi of Xiangyang Jiangqiao Hospital colluded with intermediary groups in multiple locations, using social media platforms to openly publish information on processing birth certificates, recruiting customers, selling birth certificates, and vaccine records.
After the exposure of this event, it attracted widespread public attention. On November 12, 2023, the Xiangyang Municipal Government issued a notice regarding the handling of Ye Yuzhi and 6 other suspects, confirming the baby trafficking incident at the hospital. The official notification revealed that Ye Yuzhi and the other 6 suspects were arrested, and Xiangyang Jiangqiao Hospital Co., Ltd. was fined 100,000 yuan. The shareholders of Hubei Jia Yue Maternal and Child Care Co., Ltd., Ye Yuzhi and Ye Yang, had a total of 2 million yuan in shares frozen.