Chinese opera singer Chu Lanlan died at the age of 39.Image: Beijing Opera / Youtube Screenshot
politics
A wave of sudden deaths among Chinese celebrities is raising doubts about the real number of Covid-19 victims in China. The deceased include opera singer Chu Lanlan (39), director Wang Jingguang (54), actor Fu Zucheng (82) and his colleague Gong Jintang (83). They all died in the past month.
No cause of death is mentioned in the obituaries of those who died suddenly. The family of soprano Chu Lanlan, who sang at Peking Opera, said they were “very saddened by his sudden passing”. Also with Wang Jingguang, who in China for movies As “Never Look Back” and “Lawless” is known, the family did not provide any information about the cause of death, but only stated that he was ill and had not responded to medical attention.
In December, Beijing eased the previously extremely strict Covid-19 restrictions, which led to a rise in infections and overwhelmed hospitals and crematoria. At the same time, the Chinese leadership drastically tightened the criteria for what counts as a Covid 19 death. Since December, therefore, only 22 corona deaths have been officially recorded, as reported by the Guardian. The official figures are therefore hardly realistic anymore.
Corona: Business bosses are also affected
The wave of deaths among prominent Chinese increases suspicion. Because the celebrities from the cultural sector are not the only celebrities who have died since the reversal in Chinese corona policy: between December 21 and 26, sixteen scientists from well-known universities and institutes are said to have died. The business newspaper “Financial Times” reported about several Chinese executives who met the same fate. Only one scientist and one businessman named Covid-19 as the cause.
All of these celebrity departures are fueling speculation on Weibo, China’s largest social media outlet. Many users suspect there that the celebrities died of Covid-19. The distrust of ordinary Chinese is also increasing because their own deceased relatives and acquaintances are almost always given a cause of death other than Covid-19 in the official death certificates.
Of course, other diseases could also lead to death, admits a Weibo user. “But now they all die at the same time.” Hidden criticism – the Chinese Internet censorship does not allow more – expressed several users to the obituary of Gong Jintang, who had played the role of “Father Kang” in the popular series “In-laws, Children-in-law” for almost two decades. “Rest in peace Father Kang,” wrote one user. “This wave has already claimed so many elderly lives, we should make sure we protect the elderly People protect in our families.”
“Father Kang”: Actor Gong Jintang played the role for almost 20 years.Image: guangdong tv / screenshot
The World Health Organization WHO recently explained the effects of the corona epidemic and in particular the number of deaths are significantly more seriousas the Chinese authorities presented it. Experts fear that up to a million Chinese could fall victim to the virus this year. The Chinese population of around 1.4 billion people is relatively poorly immunized due to the long-standing zero-Covid policy; moreover, Chinese vaccines are less protective than Western ones and relatively few Chinese have received a booster.
(dhr/watson.ch)
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