Jiang Yanyong

Jiang Yanyong (born October 4, 1931) is a Chinese physician who publicized a coverup of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China. Born into the Zhejiang Xingye Bank family, Jiang was the chief physician of the 301 Hospital in Beijing and a senior member of the Communist Party of China.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Jiang.
Jiang Yanyong
Born (1931-10-04) October 4, 1931
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Alma materYenching University
OccupationPhysician
Known forWhistleblower regarding the reality of the 2003 SARS outbreak in China
Political partyCommunist Party of China
Jiang Yanyong
Traditional Chinese蔣彥永
Simplified Chinese蒋彦永

Education

Jiang attended Yenching University.[1] He chose a career in medicine after seeing an aunt die of tuberculosis. In 1952, he entered Peking Union Medical College.[1]

Career

Jiang joined the People's Liberation Army in 1954 and was assigned to the 301 Hospital (PLA General Hospital) in Beijing. In 1987, Jiang was named the hospital's chief surgeon.[1] He held the military rank of Major General. In June 1989, Jiang witnessed the results of the trauma inflicted on the students during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.[1][2]

While the SARS virus began spreading in China in late 2002 and early 2003, the number of cases being reported in mainland China was drastically understated by the government.[1][3] On April 4, 2003, Jiang emailed an 800-word letter to Chinese Central Television -4 (CCTV4) and Phoenix TV (Hong Kong) reporting that fact. Although neither of the two replied or published his letter, the information was leaked to the Western news organizations. On April 8, 2003, Jiang was reached by a journalist from The Wall Street Journal through telephone interview. Later the same day, Susan Jakes, a Time journalist in Beijing also contacted Jiang. Time published the striking news right away with the title of "Beijing's SARS Attack".[2] In this article, Jiang's letter was translated into English and, for the first time, the public was made aware of the actual situation in China. This letter forced the resignation of the Mayor of Beijing and the Minister of Public Health on April 21, 2003.[3] The Chinese government began to actively deal with the growing epidemic.[3] Most public health experts believe that this act prevented the disease from reaching pandemic proportions.[1]

In February 2004, Jiang wrote an open letter to Premier Wen Jiabao, several vice premiers, the Politburo members and many other members of the Chinese government.[1][3][4] The letter asked for a re-examination of the responsibility borne by the Chinese government for the Tiananmen Square Massacre.[3][5] A number of media sources indicate that because of Jiang Yanyong's senior rank the topic of what to do with him was discussed by the Politburo.[3]

On June 2, 2004, two days before the 15th anniversary of the massacre, Jiang Yanyong's family in California reported that he and his wife were missing from their house in Beijing after being arrested and placed under military custody.[2][6] He was released on July 19, 2004.[7]

In March 2019, he wrote to Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping calling the crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square a crime. Jiang's friends then reported that they lost contact with him and believed he was under house arrest.[8] In February 2020 it was reported that he "has been placed under de facto house arrest since last year".[9]

Award

In August 2004, Jiang was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. According to the board of trustees, "The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation recognizes his brave stand for truth in China, spurring life-saving measures to confront and contain the deadly threat of SARS".[1]

On September 20, 2007, the New York Academy of Sciences gave Jiang the Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award.[3]

See also

References
  1. "The 2004 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Public Service". Ramon Magsaysay Foundation. August 31, 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  2. Pan, Philip P. (July 5, 2004). "Chinese Pressure Dissident Physician". Washington Post. pp. A01. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  3. Kahn, Joseph (July 13, 2007). "China Hero Doctor Who Exposed SARS Cover-Up Barred U.S. Trip For Rights Award". New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  4. Chinoy, Mike (July 20, 2004). "From hero to China's state villain". CNN. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  5. "Profile: China's 'honest doctor'". BBC News. March 8, 2004. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  6. Richard Spencer in Beijing (June 4, 2004). "Sars hero vanishes in Beijing anniversary swoop". Daily Telegraph.
  7. "China frees doctor who challenged Tiananmen record". CBC. July 21, 2004. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  8. "Retired Chinese Doctor Incommunicado After Calling Tiananmen Massacre a 'Crime'". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. Yu, Verna (February 9, 2020). "Doctor who exposed Sars cover-up under house arrest in China, family confirms". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
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