The affair between Dr. Xiao Fei and trainee doctor Dong Xiying exposes how nepotism and inequality remain deeply rooted in China’s hospitals

One of China’s most explosive healthcare scandals in recent memory erupted two weeks ago. It’s still dominating headlines, and shaking public trust in China’s medical and education systems.

It began at the prestigious China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, where a Dr. Xiao Fei (肖飞)—a respected thoracic surgeon—was exposed by his own wife for having multiple affairs with colleagues. His most recent affair was with a trainee resident doctor, Dong Xiying (董袭莹), which triggered the scandal.

Dr. Xiao was swiftly sacked by the hospital after receiving a whistle blower letter from his wife. The letter was circulated online, and the story has dominated social media feeds since. 

As the public and media dug deeper, the focus shifted from the affair, to the background of “Miss Dong” (董小姐).

Dong became a resident trainee physician (“规培生” in Chinese) at the Friendship Hospital after completing her medical education on the “4+4 pilot program in clinical medicine” (4+4临床医学试点班”项目) at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (“协和”, PUMCH). 

This elite “4+4” track is offered to a small number of students every year who hold non-medical undergraduate degrees, giving them the chance to transition into medicine by completing their training in just four years. 

This fast track was originally designed to train “well-rounded, interdisciplinary medical professionals”. But in practice, it’s often exploited by those with powerful family connections, allowing them to bypass years of rigorous training and secure coveted residency roles in top hospitals, in much less time than their peers:

« Ordinary medical students are still struggling desperately to get into the eight-year program or the 5+3 track. 

After grinding through years of study and residency training with little rest for over a decade, they can just barely earn the title of junior doctor. »

Before entering medicine, Dong Xiying studied economics at Barnard College, a school affiliated with Columbia University in the United States. 

According to widespread online commentary, Dong’s family connections may have paved the way for her expensive overseas education and her entry into the fast-track medical program. While some online gossip even suggests Dong’s parents were supportive of her affair with Dr Xiao as a way to further her career. 

At the heart of the backlash lies a deep-rooted sensitivity around fairness in Chinese society, and a widespread belief that China’s medical sector often rewards privilege and personal connections—reserving the best jobs, and the best treatment, for those with elite ties.

One viral meme captured this perfectly with a scene in an operating theatre, where patient, doctor, nurses, and even equipment explain how they got there: 

Patient: “I got in through connections.” (我是托关系进来的)

Doctor: “So did I.” (我也是)

Nurse: “Me too!”

Nurse: “Same here!” (一样一样)

Scanner: « So did I! » (我也是)

….

So what began as a gossipy story of infidelity, has now become a wider crisis of public trust for the China-Japan Friendship Hospital (where Dong and Xiao worked), PUMCH (where Dong trained), and more widely in China’s medical and education systems: 

“This is no longer just about extramarital affairs. 

It broke two « reverse dragon scales” of ordinary Chinese people at once: medicine and education!”

这也已经完全不再是一档出轨小三的风流事儿，而是以己之力狠狠地扯碎了老百姓心中最不可碰触的两块逆鳞：医学和教育！[1] 

• See the Favourite Five for the translation of this confusing phrase! 

The public’s growing demand for transparency had, until this week, been met largely with silence. Then on Thursday, China’s Health Commission published a lengthy statement, seemingly in response to ongoing public pressure.

According to the investigation’s findings, Dong’s admission to the “4+4 pilot program” was indeed fraudulent, as it should be limited to graduates of “global top 50” universities. Barnard College is not on that list, despite its affiliation with Columbia University. Her attendance at Barnard and entry into the “4+4” program are also suspected to have been secured through family connections.

Beyond this official statement, many articles covering the scandal have been scrubbed from the internet—which is frustrating if you are trying to write about it!

But that won’t erase the deeper problems this case has exposed: complaints of the unfairness and nepotism entrenched in China’s healthcare and education systems.

And despite the media control, this story had such an impact that the term “4+4 PUMCH” (协和4+4) has taken on new life online, becoming a slang phrase meaning the abuse of privilege in healthcare.

So, how will these deep rooted problems be overcome? 

And, how do you discuss them in amazing Chinese? 

That’s what we’re exploring this week! 

Source: https://www.realtimemandarin.com/p/224-what-chinas-biggest-medical-scandal