Chinese whistleblower doctor honored on death anniversary

Residents visiting the Wuhan Central Hospital offer flowers in memory of Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who sounded the alarm and was reprimanded by local police for it in the early days of Wuhan's pandemic, prior to the anniversary of his death, in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Dr. Li Wenliang died in the early hours of Feb. 7 from the virus first detected in this Chinese city. A small stream of people marked the anniversary at the hospital. The 34-year-old became a beloved figure and a potent symbol in China after it was revealed that he was one the whistleblowers who authorities had punished early for "spreading rumors" about a SARS-like virus. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Residents visiting the Wuhan Central Hospital offer flowers in memory of Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who sounded the alarm and was reprimanded by local police for it in the early days of Wuhan's pandemic, prior to the anniversary of his death, in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Dr. Li Wenliang died in the early hours of Feb. 7 from the virus first detected in this Chinese city. A small stream of people marked the anniversary at the hospital. The 34-year-old became a beloved figure and a potent symbol in China after it was revealed that he was one the whistleblowers who authorities had punished early for "spreading rumors" about a SARS-like virus. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA and HUIZHONG WU / Associated Press February 7, 2021 4 min read

WUHAN, China (AP) – The message was tucked into a bouquet of chrysanthemums left by a mourner at the back of Wuhan Central Hospital to honor a Chinese whistleblower doctor who died from the coronavirus a year ago. It was simply the number of a Bible verse: Matthew 5:10.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the verse reads.

A year ago Sunday, Dr. Li Wenliang died from the virus first detected in this Chinese city. A small stream of people marked the anniversary with visits to the hospital Saturday, some leaving flowers.

The 34-year-old ophthalmologist was one of eight whistleblowers who local authorities punished early on for “spreading rumors” about a SARS-like virus in a social media group. His situation, eventually made public in media reports, made him a potent symbol for the perils of going against official messaging in China.

The Chinese public embraced Li, whose presence online had painted a picture of an ordinary person. His wife was pregnant and he was soon to be a father. He sent the “rumor” because he wanted to warn others.