Over 800 Chinese university alumni petition for transparency about probe into woman filmed chained in shed

Jiangsu authorities issued their report from an investigation into how 44-year-old mother of eight, Xiaohuamei, came to be chained and living in cold conditions

In addition to internet scepticism and public outrage, alumni from four prestigious institutions are calling for more information about the ‘unconvincing’ report

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A video of a mother of eight chained to a wall by her neck has fired up debate in China about human trafficking, gender imbalance and the treatment of mentally ill. It has also prompted scrutiny of local authorities.
Photo: hexun

Published: 8:36pm, 24 Feb 2022Updated: 8:42pm, 24 Feb 2022

More than 800 alumni of four prestigious universities in China have called on Jiangsu authorities to be more transparent about their investigation into a Xuzhou human trafficking scandal that has prompted national outrage.

The victim, whose shocking state was revealed in a video that widely circulated online, was identified in an investigative report as Xiaohuamei. It concluded the 44-year-old woman from southwestern Yunnan was abducted and sold twice before ending up in 1998 in Jiangsu with a man identified as Dong. She gave birth to eight children between 1999 and 2020.

Last month, a video circulated showing Xiaohuamei chained by the neck and shivering while wearing thin clothing in a run-down hut in Feng county, Xuzhou, in Jiangsu province.

Jiangsu authorities have identified a woman filmed in appalling conditions as Xiaohuamei, a 44-year-old woman from southwestern Yunnan who was abducted and sold twice. Photo: Handout

Jiangsu authorities announced on February 17 they would launch a thorough inquiry into the Xuzhou scandal after boiling public rage was aggravated by inconsistent responses coming from Feng county and Xuzhou city governments.

Since Xiaohuamei’s case emerged, Feng and Xuzhou county governments have issued four separate – and contradictory – statements that appeared to play down the woman’s plight, further stoking public anger.

And Jiangsu’s findings released on Wednesday did not appear to ease any of the public concerns that had prompted heated debate over child marriage and women’s rights in China.

A day after Jiangsu’s investigation was made public, more than 800 alumni from Renmin, Peking, Tsinghua and Shandong Universities signed an online petition using their full names in a call for more background information about the investigation.