【Epoch Times September 16, 2026 Report】A student in the Clinical Medicine Eight-Year Program at the Baiyun Campus of Southern Medical University fell to his death from a dormitory building. It has been rumored online that both of his parents are hospitalized in the ICU, and his death is related to his mentor’s refusal to grant him leave. The university has since announced the establishment of a special task force to investigate the incident.
In the early hours of September 15, a student enrolled in the Clinical Medicine Eight-Year Program at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou fell from the 23rd floor of a dormitory building.
According to information provided by a fellow doctoral student of the deceased, a major family tragedy had befallen the student. In July, his father was involved in a car accident and has been undergoing treatment in the ICU ever since. His mother also became hospitalized in the ICU due to illness. When he requested leave from his mentor to take care of his parents, the mentor only granted him three days off and required him to record data until the early hours of the morning daily. If he did not finish recording, the mentor would not allow him to proceed with his research proposal. As a doctoral student, he was also required to work at the hospital.
Sources revealed that the mentor of the doctoral student is Wang Wenjian, a nephrologist at a provincial hospital. Following the incident, the mentor was only penalized with the “revocation of enrollment qualification for next year.”
Photos circulated online show bouquets of flowers placed downstairs in memory of the deceased.
Multiple search terms related to the incident such as “Southern Medical University suicide” and “Southern Medical University mentor denied leave” trended on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Wednesday, September 16.
Chinese media outlets including the “Xiaoxiang Morning News,” “China Blue News,” and “New Yellow River Client-end” reported that on the morning of September 16, netizens concerned about the incident called the president’s office of the university, where staff confirmed that a special task force has been set up by the university to investigate the matter.
A student who knew the deceased personally told reporters, “The senior brother jumped in the early morning after work, and he did not return to the dormitory before the incident.”
Regarding the rumor circulating online that the student was only granted three days of leave despite a family emergency, this student did not confirm the allegation.
Furthermore, a netizen claiming to be a student at the university stated that the deceased student, originally from Chongqing, had a family emergency that required him to take leave, but it was not approved by the mentor.
Employees at the Jingxi Police Station in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, mentioned that the station is still actively handling the case, and details of the incident cannot be disclosed at this time.
Commenting on the situation, netizens expressed their concerns, stating, “Mentors have too much power without effective supervision mechanisms, resulting in the inability to protect students’ rights.” “As for the current situation, the university has set up a special task force to investigate the matter. Investigating themselves?” “I truly don’t understand the school’s leave policy now. As long as the leave is reasonable and the consequences can be borne, why has taking leave become such a challenge?” “If a generation does not care for their children, where is the hope for the future?” “Some mentors nowadays only meet the academic qualifications on the surface but lack humanity and moral standards.”
Furthermore, a large number of netizens have flooded the admissions office of the Southern Medical University with demands for explanations.