As the KP history describes: The whistleblower becomes a hero

Li Wenliang died of Covid-19 a year ago. The doctor had warned about the virus, but the authorities forced him to remain silent. Now they are trying to rewrite history.

Wuhan. Anyone visiting the central hospital in Wuhan these days will experience a city that has found its way back to everyday life: security officers in black uniform check the “health codes” on the visitors’ smartphones at the hospital entrance, corner restaurants a stone’s throw away offer hot noodles with sesame paste and soy noodles. Nothing reminds us that exactly a year ago Li Wenliang succumbed to his corona disease. On his Weibo account, a kind of Chinese Twitter, countless Internet users remembered the deceased doctor on Sunday. “History and the people will never forget you!” Writes a user. Another says: “You live forever in the hearts of the Chinese.”

The 33-year-old achieved international fame as a “whistleblower doctor”. The attribution of courageous citizens would be more accurate, because in the end Li only wanted to warn his fellow students from his university days: In a private “WeChat” group he wrote that the number of patients with Sars-like symptoms in his hospital was increasing, and advised caution. Weeks before authorities admitted the existence of the new pathogen, the city’s doctors seemed aware of the seriousness of the situation.

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