Last month, the Yunnan “Wild Child” incident, involving a child exhibiting canine-like behavior, garnered widespread attention. Yesterday, on November 11th, the official Chinese state media suddenly released an investigation article in a “notification-style,” denying claims of child abuse and trafficking in relation to the incident. However, many of the statements made in the report raised doubts among netizens. One aspect that drew particular skepticism was the footage showing a child engaging in affectionate interactions with relatives, which was questioned for being staged and not involving the actual “wild child” at the heart of the controversy.
The incident originated from a video that circulated online in mid-October, showing a 3-year-old boy with disheveled hair, naked, and crawling on all fours like a dog. This video sparked strong public outcry, with suspicions arising about whether the child was biologically related to the individuals seen with him, potential child abduction or trafficking, illegal profiteering by the parents, and potential child abuse. The child was dubbed the Yunnan “Wild Child,” with netizens comparing it to the notorious “Iron Chain Woman incident” in Fengxian, labeling it as the “most vicious child abuse incident in history.”
Some netizens uncovered alleged connections between the incident and a training base for “canine children,” as well as transnational child abuse and trafficking networks involving high-ranking officials in Beijing. Many netizens closely followed the developments, while authorities attempted to suppress related information.
A blogger attempted to visit the child’s residence but was intercepted. Netizens pointed out the similarity to the Fengxian (Iron Chain Woman) incident from three years ago.
It was not until yesterday, November 11th, that the official Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV, and local Yunnan media uncommonly released a report titled “Investigative Report on Dali Nanjian ‘Naked Child’ Event as Circulated Online.”
The official report claimed that on October 15th, “Ping Ping” and his younger brother “An An” (pseudonyms) were traveling with their parents, Li and Wan, when they were captured in a video crawling naked in a service area of the Sichuan Yaxi Expressway. An investigative team was then established in late October in Nanjian County, Dali, Yunnan, where the boy’s father was registered.
According to the official report, the investigation team found through DNA testing that the child was indeed biologically related to the individuals, and not illegally acquired. The report further stated that the child’s nudity was due to eczema, his preference for not wearing clothes, his affection for playing with household pets leading to his crawling behavior, and that he would voluntarily wear clothes when cold, attributing the crawling behavior to a form of respecting the child’s nature.
The parents, both with university degrees and working as freelancers, had their child via natural birth at home without obtaining a birth certificate. Additionally, they had not registered their marriage, leading to issues with household registration. The report insisted that the parents did not abuse the child; instead, they respected him, even going as far as to “treat him with indulgence.” It also emphasized that they did not profit illegally online.
The report stated that the couple had apologized and adjusted their parenting methods, and that behavioral correction was underway for the naked child.
Additionally, a two-minute video was released showing the child, referred to as “Ping Ping,” playing with peers. In the video, it is evident that the child had gotten a haircut, could walk and run upright, speak in Mandarin, draw, play soccer, and fluently answer questions.
Following the release of the official report and video, as of midday today, the views on Weibo surpassed 500 million. While some netizens accepted the official account, many others raised suspicions, with claims of censorship of critical comments and the inability to share the original “Wild Child” video from last month.
As of midday on November 12th, skepticism continued to pervade discussions on Weibo concerning the incident: “No exposure, no questioning.” “Something feels off; it’s very fishy.” “These parents are university-educated?!” “Official reports should focus on rigor and seriousness, not stylized news releases.” “Eczema is becoming the buzzword of the year.”
Many netizens cast doubts on the authenticity of the situation: “Do they think we are blind? Hair can turn from dry and yellow to smooth and black in twenty days? Skin suddenly turns white? Posture changes? Various physical issues magically resolved?”
Others compared images from the previous online video of the “Wild Child” with the officially released video, pointing out differences in body shape, hair, and movements: “One has broad shoulders, the other rounded shoulders; one has yellow hair, the other black; one is slender, the other plump.”
Netizens remarked, “They are playing us for fools; it’s clear they are not the same people.” “Anyone with eyes can tell it’s fake.” “The child, the mother, and the grandfather are not the same.” “Le Le (referring to the wild child) should be older and wouldn’t speak Mandarin so fluently as shown in the video.”
A Weibo account named “Deputy Chief Physician Yan Liang of Pediatrics” raised questions, wondering, “Are these two children the same? Can a child change so drastically in ten days? Hair color switches from dry yellow to black? Skin turning white? Posture improvement? Various health issues resolved?”
Some netizens criticized the efforts to whitewash the situation, saying, “They are trying to pass off lies as the truth, claiming normalcy where there is none.” “Treating the public like fools.” “Malnutrition, sunburnt skin, motor impairments? No problem, a trip to Yunnan will fix it. And all in just twenty days! You may not believe me, but trust CCTV News.”
Regarding the trending topic #YunnanNakedChildParentsApologize#, netizens expressed skepticism, saying, “No need to apologize; you are busy deleting posts and stifling dissent across platforms.”
An anonymous netizen shared, “None of the videos can be shared now. Remember him jumping down from a red stool in the video, his father throwing food on the ground for him to mimic a dog, then the child climbing and leaping to the father? He grabs two apples from passersby, takes one to his father, then leaps back to his spot with the other apple in his mouth. These are things we’ve all seen on video, but now they cannot be shared. Are you really saying this is natural and normal behavior? He was completely nude while doing these actions. How can you explain this—painting his face white? Putting things on the ground for him to eat—are you kidding?”
In a report by the official Chinese media outlet “China News Weekly” on October 19th, villagers recounted instances of the child’s father washing him under a tap in winter despite the cold weather, with the child being naked. Villagers tried to intervene to no avail, even in one instance during a snowy morning when the father, clad in coral fleece pajamas, brought the child and a dog out, with the child completely unclothed.