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Boyfriend Who Cared for Comatose Girlfriend Turns Out To Be Her Abuser

One man made Chinese headlines in 2014 for borrowing RMB 200,000 (30,900$) to care for his girlfriend, who fell into a coma after a severe head injury. But now that the woman has miraculously woken up, she reveals a shocking story: her loving boyfriend was the one who caused her injuries.

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One man made Chinese headlines in 2014 for borrowing RMB 200,000 (30,900$) to care for his girlfriend who fell into a coma after a severe head injury. But now that the woman has woken up, she reveals that her loving boyfriend was the one who caused her injuries. The story has shocked netizens, who hope that China’s new law against domestic violence will bring justice to victims of abuse.

In 2014, Liu Fenghe touched the hearts of many Chinese netizens. After his girlfriend Lin Yingying received serious head injury and became comatose, the young man from the port city of Dalian stood by her side, and even bore a debt of RMB 200,000 (30,900$) to care of his girlfriend.

Liu’s faithfulness and persistence was extensively covered by Chinese media, and many netizens pointed to Liu’s story as proof that true love still exists in China today. The pictures of the caring Liu standing by his girlfriend’s sickbed were shared amongst netizens.

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But this love story took a shocking turn when Lin miraculously regained consciousness in May 2015. Lin’s family was overjoyed with her recovery, but they were then hit with a dark and terrifying truth; Lin’s ‘accident’ was a hard blow to the head by her boyfriend, Liu Fenghe.

The true story behind Lin’s injury has now been exposed by Chinese media, shocking Weibo’s netizens. Media report how Lin and Liu opened a bakery together shortly after they met. On the August 29th 2014, Lin accidentally burned twenty loaves. This supposedly made Liu so angry that he grabbed a large rolling pin and struck Lin hard in the back of her head. The blow left Lin seriously injured with blood coming from her ear, and she fell to the floor. According to Chinese media, Liu then called an ambulance, saying that Lin “fell over in the bakery”.

Lin Yingying also revealed that this was but one of many occasions where her boyfriend had beaten her. Liu Fenghe had previously punched Lin in the chest for playing a mobile game he didn’t like. Although Lin initially resisted Liu’s violence, she gradually came to endure his abuse in silence, fearing her parents’ reaction if they discovered her injuries.

Since Lin revealed her horrific experience, Liu Fenghe and his mother have been on the run. According to Tencent News, Lin’s father responded to the news with shock and commented: “As a person, you need to have a conscience. Why was he so cruel to my daughter? If he was the one who beat her, he should have admitted doing it.”

The news was shared on Weibo by many different media outlets, such as Legal Evening News, using the hashtag #Story Plot Twist (#剧情大反转#) Netizens reacted with outrage: “Nearly killing your girlfriend for burning bread? What kind of a monster is he?”

Another user commented: “The girl’s family should have called the police. I can’t believe they went all this time without knowing the truth.”

Other netizens called for Liu to be punished: “It’s time to carry out our domestic violence law.”

China’s very first law targeting domestic violence took effect at the beginning of this month, with the landmark legislation covering married couples and co-habiting couples, and including both physical and psychological abuse.

About a quarter of all Chinese women suffer domestic abuse during marriage, only 40,000 to 50,000 reports were approximately made each year, the Guardian reports. Like Lin Yingying, many victims remain silent to avoid bringing shame upon the family.

With domestic violence now formally being recognized in Chinese legislation, Weibo’s netizens express their hope that Liu, along with other perpetrators of domestic violence in China, will finally receive their just punishment.

By Anna Xue

Photos from news.qq.com

©2016 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Anna is a UK-based writer and translator who spent her early years in northeast China. She has a passion for the social stories unique to China and is fascinated by historical issues unfolding over the stage of Chinese social media.

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China Local News

The Liaoyang Restaurant Fire That Killed 22 People

Manya Koetse

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🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China – Week 18
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.


An enormous fire that happened at a restaurant in Liaoning’s Liaoyang on the afternoon of April 29 (see video) has gone top trending on Chinese social media, mainly due to the fact that it caused so many fatalities.

By 7pm, Chinese official media reported that the fire, which happened at 12:25 in the city’s Baita district, had killed 22 people. Three people were injured.

The fire started on the second floor of the restaurant Sanli Chuniang (三里厨娘/Sanli Chef’s Daughter) on Minzhu Road (民主路) and quickly spread throughout the entire two-story brick-concrete structure, which covers an area of about 260 square meters. The windy weather also played a part in how quickly the fire spread. The fire broke out around lunchtime, when there were many customers.

The restaurant before and after the fire.

Some sources on Xiaohongshu report that, according to witnesses, toxic smoke filled the entire building in less than five minutes. The thick smoke, small spaces inside the two-story building, and limited escape routes — some of which were allegedly blocked — all contributed to the high number of fatalities. Some victims were reportedly just ten meters away from the exit, yet still failed to escape.

According to Caixin, the restaurant’s second floor had several private rooms without windows.

To make matters worse, some nearby vehicles were not moved in time, hindering the rescue operations.

Sanli Chuniang was a locally popular restaurant serving various Chinese dishes, snacks, and dumplings. It was in business since 2016.

On social media, many commenters are expressing shock and sadness over the deadly fire. They also want answers into why there seemed to have been little to no fire safety precautions at the establishment.

The last time a restaurant fire with many fatalities made major headlines in China was in 2023, when a gas explosion inside a BBQ restaurant in Yinchuan resulted in 31 deaths. Nine people, including the restaurant owner, were later arrested in connection with the fire and the lack of safety precautions.

Some reports on the Liaoyang restaurant fire have now been removed, but it appears that the restaurant had been operating illegally since 2023 and that its fire safety inspections were not up to date.

Guancha reported that while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the restaurant owner has been taken into custody.

🔄 Update 1: Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued a statement regarding the devastating fire, calling on local authorities to hold those responsible accountable and to properly handle matters related to the victims and console their families.

Premier Li Qiang also emphasized that local authorities across China should screen for fire hazards and strengthen safety measures to prevent such major accidents from occurring.

🔄 Update 2: Preliminary investigations have ruled out arson or gas leakage as the cause of the fire. The specific cause of the incident is still under investigation, focusing on leftover cigarette butts that might have started the fire or possible electrical faults. The restaurant’s furniture and interior materials were highly flammable, and strong winds outside caused the fire to spread quickly and block the exits. This made it difficult for those trapped inside to escape. Most victims died from asphyxiation after inhaling large amounts of toxic smoke in a short time.

As definite results have not yet been issued at the time of writing (May 6), some netizens are wondering: “When can we expect to hear more?”

 
By Manya Koetse

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China Local News

Aftermath of Suzhou Marathon’s “Pissing Gate”

Manya Koetse

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🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China – Week 17
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.


It has already been over seven weeks since the Suzhou Marathon took place, but it was trending again today in light of a statement that has come out regarding a particular situation.

During the March 2nd Suzhou Marathon, which had over 25,000 participants, images and videos went viral showing how some runners stopped to take a toilet break and urinated against the main sign of the Jiangsu Suzhou Experimental Middle School (江苏省苏州实验中学).


At the time, the Suzhou Marathon soon released an official statement denouncing the “uncivilized” behavior of the runners.

Other images showed that there were portable toilets set up along the route, but even there, there were runners urinating in public.

Portable toilets along the route.

Runner urinating behind the portable toilets.

On April 24, the Chinese Athletics Association (中国田径协会, CAA), the national governing body for athletics in China, issued a statement saying that, according to the association’s disciplinary regulations, ten participants who urinated against the school sign have been banned from participating in any marathon affiliated with the CAA for the next three years, until March 1, 2028.

The Chinese Athletics Association further stated that they have decided to revoke Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for event certification in 2026.

Although most online commenters agree that the runners should be punished for their behavior, some also note that it seems “unfair” that Suzhou Marathon also cannot apply for organizing its 2026 marathon:

💬 “(..) because of the uncivilized behavior of just 10 people, Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for certification from the Chinese Athletics Association in 2026 was directly cancelled. Isn’t this kind of penalty a bit unfair to Suzhou? After all, just 20 meters away from where those people were peeing, there were many portable toilets set up.”

Just around the corner from where the runners urinated in public, there were plenty of portable toilets set up.

Where they peed against the wall, and the toilets nearby.

The punishment for the Suzhou Marathon seems to be a classic case of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey” (杀鸡儆猴): a drastic measure that sends a clear message to other marathons. Not only should they provide plenty of portable toilets, but they must also enforce measures or assign staff to ensure that another “pissing gate” doesn’t happen in the future.

 
By Manya Koetse with contributions by Miranda Barnes

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2025 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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