- A viral conspiracy theory has emerged surrounding a young Shanghai tourist’s blood transfusion.
- Yu Yanyan, 27, received blood donations from civil servants in Tibet after suffering a car crash.
- State media said the civil servants volunteered, but Weibo suspects the blood drive was forced.
A car crash involving a tourist in Tibet has sparked a wide-ranging online conspiracy theory after dozens of civil servants belonging to one of China’s minority groups donated blood to her.
Yu Yanyan, 27, was honeymooning with her husband on October 14, when she was severely injured in a car crash in Tibet’s Ngari region, according to an initial report by state media Beijing News.
The article has since been deleted, but its details have been widely shared on social media, commentaries, and other state media articles responding to the controversy.
Yu, who is from Shanghai, was sent to the Ngari District People’s Hospital and diagnosed with a ruptured liver, severe blood loss, and life-threatening injuries, state-affiliated media The Paper reported in a follow-up investigation on December 6.
She required surgery and a blood transfusion, but medical facilities there did not have enough supply of her blood type.
A relative of Yu, an aunt on her father’s side of the family, called the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission for assistance, and the organization put together a team of doctors who coordinated blood donations to stabilize her condition, per The Paper.
On October 16, several dozen local civil servants, including police officers and firefighters, donated blood to Yu, whose life was eventually saved, The Paper reported.
The Paper wrote that these individuals had volunteered, and that some even put out a social media call among their colleagues for donations.
Weibo is not buying it
But people on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, were unconvinced.
Social media users began questioning the nature of the donations after Yu released a video on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, sharing the events that occurred. Her video has also been taken down.
In the video, she posted several screenshots of texts with her husband discussing the organization of the blood drive.
“The entire Ngari region’s type A blood has been transfused to you,” Yu’s husband wrote in the screenshot, seen by Business Insider. “A total of more than 7,000 milliliters, your entire body’s worth of blood was replaced twice.”
Yu thus went viral in late November under the moniker “Blood Tank Sister” or “Health Bar Sister,” a reference to health points or hit points from video games.
A conspiracy theory — which remains unsupported by any confirmed evidence — began to form online about Yu. It alleged that her relative may have held a position of influence and compelled the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission to force Tibetan civil servants into donating blood.
“If a similar situation occurs again, could you replicate the same process?” one person wrote on Weibo.
“After passing the civil service exam, all that you are is a mobile blood bank for the rich,” another wrote.
Controversy brewed further when Yu’s family said she was flown from Tibet to Sichuan province on October 18 via a chartered Gulfstream G550 that cost over $160,000 to hire.
While unproven, the conspiracy theory’s infamy underscores concerns in China of corruption within the country’s healthcare system and the treatment of its minority ethnic groups.
The Tibetan minority, in particular, drew national attention in 2008 following a series of demonstrations and violent encounters from Tibetans protesting their treatment by the central government.
RUNE BACKS/AFP via Getty Images
State media tries to allay controversy
Chinese state media and social media censors have since moved in unison to quell discussion of the conspiracy theory about Yu.
Hashtags related to “Blood Tank Sister,” “Yu Yan Yan,” “Ngari Blood Donation Incident,” and calls to reveal the identity of Yu’s aunt have been blocked on Weibo.
Several state media articles reporting on the initial blood donation have also been removed.
The Paper’s follow-up investigation, jointly published by Shangguan News, sought to debunk the conspiracy theory, saying its reporters had confirmed that the blood donations were voluntary and that there was no official organized blood drive.
It further reported that Yu’s family collected the $160,000 for her flight from friends, colleagues, and relatives because they had little savings.
The state outlet also wrote that Yu’s aunt is a 60-year-old retired worker who was employed at a handicrafts company, and that none of Yu’s family members work in government service.
The blood drive for Yu, it reported, came from the efforts of “many enthusiastic people” among the Shanghai and Tibet health authorities.
Yet skepticism remains on Weibo, where people are accusing bloggers who spoke in support of Yu of being paid to side with her.
Thousands of comments have also been disabled on popular news articles reporting that the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission denied it obligated Tibetan civil servants to donate blood.
“I’m glad the injury was not serious this time. She only needed a blood transfusion, not an organ replacement,” wrote one person.
“If everyone can receive this sort of treatment, then I’ll believe it,” another wrote.
Chinese social media users widely recognize Weibo as a hotbed for unfounded conspiracy theories and misinterpreted situations, which often pillory those caught in the center and are notorious for causing victims to lose their jobs and privacy.
