Wuhan residents honor Chinese whistleblower doctor

Описание: (6 Feb 2021) On the anniversary of the death of a Chinese whistleblower doctor who shared information about the coronavirus a year ago, a small stream of visitors placed flowers outside the hospital where the first case of the virus was detected in his memory.
Li Wenliang became a folk hero in China after he was revealed to be one of eight whistleblowers who local authorities had punished early on for “spreading rumors” after he had shared information about a SARS-like virus in a social media group.
After the media reports came out, the Chinese public embraced Li, whose presence online had painted a picture of an ordinary person.
The public then watched as he fell ill with the disease he was warning them about, before it eventually worsened and he died.
Li's death was initially reported by Chinese state media on the night of Feb. 6, 2020, but the outlets quickly withdrew their reporting.
Some hours later, in the early morning of Feb. 7, Wuhan Central Hospital announced his death.
Chinese people grieved his death, online and offline.
Mourners brought flowers to the hospital, while online some people were furious and demanded for freedom of speech — posts that were quickly censored.
Li's death seemed to raise a challenge to the central government, as public anger swelled.
Central government authorities conducted an investigation into Li's death, concluding that the officer who punished the doctor should be reprimanded.
One police officer was given a demerit, while another was given an official warning, state media later reported.
At the conclusion of the investigation, authorities published a Q&A, in which they noted: “Li was a Communist Party member, not a so-called ‘person who was against the system.'"
It said those who labeled him that way were "enemy forces."
Since then, the epidemic has largely been controlled within China's borders, and the narrative has shifted to one of triumph.
That victorious narrative has been underscored more by the devastation the pandemic has wrecked in many Western countries, particularly the U.S., where former President Donald Trump blamed China for the pandemic.
Wuhan for the most part has returned to normal, with shopping malls and streets crowded, and there is little visible evidence of the suffering the city went through.
Li's death is still a sensitive topic, and his family has refrained from giving media interviews.
While his Weibo profile has been left up, there has been no largescale public memorial.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...