On August 16, 2025, a scandal involving Dr. Xiao Fei, the Deputy Director of Thoracic Surgery at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, was exposed by his wife for an extramarital affair. This incident unexpectedly revealed suspicions of academic fraud surrounding intern physician Dong Xiyin, triggering a crisis of public trust. On August 15, the investigation team of the Chinese Communist Party’s Health Commission released the results of their investigation into the incident, noting that 19 personnel from 5 related institutions were held accountable. However, the accountability outcomes drew dissatisfaction from numerous netizens, with many feeling that justice was not fully served.
According to the Health Commission’s report, Xiao Fei’s unauthorized departure from the operating table exposed issues such as inadequate management of medical quality and safety, as well as shortcomings in medical ethics and professional conduct at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. As a result, the Deputy Director of the hospital, Mr. Cui, received a warning, while the Head of Thoracic Surgery where Xiao worked, Mr. Liang, was internally disciplined and given a warning and demerit.
Regarding Dong Xiyin, it was revealed that her academic credentials from Beijing University of Science and Technology were falsified. With the assistance of her aunt, Ban Manjuan (Deputy Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office at Beijing University of Science and Technology), and the registration center director of the school, Mr. Li Dakuan, Dong falsified her academic records to gain entry into a 4+4 pilot program at Peking Union Medical College. Ban Manjuan even arranged for her team’s associate professor, Ma Boyuan, to help write Dong’s doctoral thesis, with Ma plagiarizing student papers for Dong to use.
During Dong’s internship, Dr. Bing Zhongxing of the Thoracic Surgery Department at Peking Union Hospital arranged for her to participate in a surgery at Beijing Sixth Hospital and provided misleading promotional materials. Dong’s mentor, Mr. Qiu, designated Dr. Wu Muhong and Wu Dong of the Orthopedics Department of Peking Union Hospital to oversee her research training and thesis guidance, with Wu Dong serving as both a thesis advisor and a member of the defense committee, in violation of the school’s thesis defense regulations.
As the corresponding author of Dong’s thesis, the Chief of Urology at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Xing Nianzeng, listed both the Deputy Chief in his department, Song Gang, and Dong Xiyin as co-first authors, which did not align with their actual contributions.
The Director of Gastroenterology at Peking Union Hospital, Wu Dong, allowed Dong to duplicate her publications. The Director of Orthopedics, Zhang Jianguo, greeted the Director of Spinal Surgery at China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Mi Ping, to facilitate the adjustment of the standardized training rotation plan for resident physicians for Dong Xiyin.
From the report, it is evident that from her enrollment, to her internship, thesis writing, and even later when she became a resident physician at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Dong Xiyin received inappropriate assistance and facilitation from doctors in various departments of Peking Union Hospital.
According to the report, the Vice President in charge of enrollment and teaching at Peking Union Medical College, surnamed Zhang, received a severe warning within the Party; the then Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office, Mr. Ning, was given a warning; Dong Xiyin’s aunt, Ban Manjuan, was put under Party surveillance for a year, stripped of her position, had her qualification as a graduate student advisor revoked, and was removed from her teaching role; Ma Boyuan was severely warned and given a demerit, with a two-year suspension of his graduate student enrollment qualifications; Dong Xiyin’s mentor, Mr. Qiu, received criticism and education (as he had retired and no longer served as a graduate student advisor).
Furthermore, after the release of the aforementioned report, the President of Peking Union Medical College and the Party Secretary of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital had already been replaced on the 15th.
The official website shows that the current President of Peking Union Medical College is Ji Xinming, with Wang Chen no longer appearing on the list of college leaders. The current Party Secretary of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital is Li Tianqing, whereas the previous Party Secretary of the hospital was Song Shuli.
The report sparked outrage online, with netizens expressing disapproval, questioning the light punishments: “Is it just warnings for those involved? What kind of punishment is this?” “After all the investigation, no one was caught.” “Did Aunt Ban use someone else’s name?” “Why were so many influential figures willing to assist her?” “All regulations were violated, is this the end result?” “Is this the conclusion?” “Aunt Ban devoted herself completely, but her parents disappeared completely?”
In response, the WeChat public account Maixiesun, which focuses on social topics, published an article questioning why Dong Miss’s mentor, Mr. Qiu, and the Director of Orthopedics at Peking Union Hospital, Mr. Zhang Jianguo, both prominent figures in their circles, were supporting Dong. They should not lack power, money, or fame, so why were they advocating for Dong?
Maixiesun also questioned whether they were saving face for someone and pondered whose face Dong was representing. Was it her parents? Or were there other individuals involved? Or perhaps due to insufficient evidence, nothing more detailed could be mentioned in the report? “At this moment, I can only sigh and say – Miss Dong, although only in her twenties, holds considerable influence…”