Recent Tragic News Surfaced Online, Revealing the Sudden Passing of Lieutenant General and former Deputy Commander of the Lanzhou Military Region, Guan Kai, at the age of 76. The authorities issued a notice of his death, but did not disclose the cause. It was revealed by insiders that Guan Kai was involved in a car accident and was denied treatment at the hospital due to unrecognized identity, sparking widespread discussion.
In recent days, rumors of Guan Kai’s mysterious death in Beijing have been circulating online. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Retired Cadres confirmed on July 22nd that Guan Kai passed away in Beijing at 1:22 p.m. on July 21st. The notice stated that a farewell ceremony for Guan Kai’s body would be held at the Babao Mountain Funeral Home in the east hall on July 25th at around 9 a.m., and a mourning hall would also be set up at his home.
According to a report by The Paper on July 25th, the news was also verified by Guan Kai’s relatives and friends.
However, the notice did not address the most concerning issue for the public – the cause of death.
Online sleuths discovered that Guan Kai’s last public appearance was on March 11, 2022, at a tree planting event in Changping Park, Beijing. Pictures from the event showed Guan Kai in good physical and mental condition with no apparent abnormalities.
A post by the Netease account “Truth Seeker” claimed that Guan Kai passed away due to a cycling accident.
The post mentioned that a netizen claiming to be a former subordinate of Guan Kai stated that he died due to an unexpected cycling accident.
On the morning of July 21st, Guan Kai was out early for his exercise routine, riding his bicycle when the accident occurred. He sustained severe injuries and despite immediate medical care, he eventually passed away.
On July 29th, another netizen revealed that a general passed away because of a lack of money at the time, missing out on the best chance for rescue.
The details provided by the netizen revealed that Guan Kai had a cycling accident early in the morning, lost consciousness on the spot, and was taken to a civil aviation hospital by the driver as he had no identification or phone to contact his family. The hospital demanded 50,000 RMB for treatment, but the driver could only raise 5,000 RMB, leading the hospital to refuse treatment.
By 8 a.m., Guan Kai’s spouse noticed his absence and his phone left at home, unable to reach him, subsequently informing the retired cadres association and then the police. After a busy morning, when the family and authorities finally located him, several hours had passed, and he had already passed away.
This news sparked heated discussions among netizens. Some expressed that if the hospital had known his military rank, they would have saved him regardless of cost.
Others opined that “only when one’s identity is not revealed can true fairness be achieved” and “those without status in China are not treated as human”.
In 2023, a leak on overseas platforms alleged that a maximum of 1,000 high-ranking officials at the central and provincial levels received a staggering 16.48 billion RMB in central government funding in 2022, whereas the entire Hubei Province only received 5.16 billion RMB in health funding.
Netizens pointed out that the failure to effectively protect Guan Kai’s life in this incident highlights the habitual provision of inadequate medical services by the Chinese healthcare system when faced with a lack of funds, particularly for non-privileged patients, showing a callous indifference towards patient deaths. Tragic stories of ordinary people giving up treatment due to financial constraints abound, and they are promptly turned away once medical expenses dry up.
Public records indicate that Guan Kai was born in March 1948, making him 76 years old this year. He had served as the Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander, and Commander of the 16th Group Army, and from December 2005 to June 2011, he was the Deputy Commander and Standing Committee Member of the Lanzhou Military Region. Guan Kai was promoted to Major General in July 1998 and to Lieutenant General in July 2007, at the age of 59.
According to industry insiders, Guan Kai’s father was also a military veteran who held significant leadership positions, such as Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Military Region Political Department and Dean of the Shenyang Artillery Academy.