On December 23rd, 72-year-old Xu Dongqing, a petitioner from Jintan District, Jiangsu Province, suddenly felt unwell in the evening and was urgently rushed to Jintan District People’s Hospital for emergency treatment. It was confirmed that she had a brain hemorrhage and a cerebral aneurysm. As her condition deteriorated and became critical, she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the First People’s Hospital of Changzhou City, where doctors informed her family that continued close monitoring in the ICU was necessary to determine the next steps for treatment.
On the afternoon of December 24th, after local officials from the street and village committee went to the First People’s Hospital of Changzhou City to inquire about Xu’s condition and report to their superiors, doctors suddenly contacted Xu’s husband and stated that her condition had stabilized, requesting her transfer to a regular ward.
In the afternoon, Xu Dongqing’s daughter, Yang Caiying, who resides in Japan, communicated with the doctors along with her father. The doctors mentioned that the condition was stable but also raised concerns that the patient was agitated due to the lack of family presence in the ICU, therefore requesting an immediate transfer out of the ICU.
Yang Caiying revealed to the press that during the communication, she overheard the doctors receiving a phone call and arranging for the transfer to a regular ward. Moreover, the doctors suggested that if they requested a hospital transfer, it could be promptly arranged, emphasizing the urgency for her to return to China and refrain from discussing the matter publicly.
Yang Caiying insisted on video confirmation of her mother’s condition before making any decisions. In the video call, Xu Dongqing was conscious but had some difficulty speaking. She clarified that she did not request to leave the ICU and denied feeling nervous or scared. Despite her condition, the doctors allegedly became agitated, warning that should any issues arise if she remained in the ICU, the responsibility would fall on the family.
Staggeringly, the doctors informed the family that during an MRI on December 3rd at Jintan People’s Hospital, they had identified a vascular tumor in Xu Dongqing’s brain, but had not disclosed this information to the family, misleading them by stating her condition was stable.
Regarding Xu Dongqing’s brain hemorrhage, it was initially decided by the doctors at Jintan People’s Hospital that surgery was not needed but treatment for the vascular tumor was essential. It was confirmed that the tumor had been present since Xu’s detention in Changzhou City Detention Center, yet the authorities concealed her condition and denied her proper medical attention.
Xu Dongqing had been advocating against the unlawful land acquisition and abandonment by the Jiangsu authorities in Jintan, where corruption involving the local police and prosecutor’s office was exposed. She demanded the return of a substantial amount of land fraudulently taken from farmers, which threatened the interests of the local officials, leading to prolonged retaliation against her.
In October 2024, Xu Dongqing and her daughter, Yang Li, were both charged with “provoking trouble” and sentenced to imprisonment, Xu for one year and two months, and Yang Li for one year and three months.
On November 11, 2025, after being released from prison due to health concerns, Xu Dongqing, suffering from severe heart disease, and her husband were abducted by plainclothes police officers at Jintan High-speed Rail Station while on their way to seek medical treatment in Nanjing. They were taken to the Jintan Investigation Center where they were subjected to torture and abuse. Despite Xu’s repeated requests for her heart medication during her deteriorating health, the police denied her access to it, prolonging her suffering throughout the ordeal.
Both Xu Dongqing and her daughter, Yang Li, suffer from serious ailments – Xu with heart disease and Yang Li with kidney disease. The family had faced obstruction and abduction by the Jintan authorities multiple times when seeking medical treatment in Beijing, worsening their conditions. Yang Li, still incarcerated, urgently requires dialysis for her deteriorating kidney condition but is being deprived of medical treatment by the Changzhou City Detention Center.