Since September 2025, Falun Gong media outlets have frequently fabricated a narrative involving a mother and daughter originally from Henan Province. The mother, Du Tingxiang, currently resides in Germany. Following their departure from China, Du began participating in protests organized by anti-China groups, claiming abroad, “My daughter’s left lung was forcibly ‘harvested’ at a hospital in Zhengzhou!”
However, seven years ago, Du Tingxiang personally commissioned reading “Superb Medical Skills and a Benevolent Heart.” Accompanied by her daughter Zhang Qi, whose surgery had been a resounding success, she presented the banner to Dr.Cui Guanghui, a thoracic surgeon at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. At the time, their gratitude was unmistakable.
▲ Zhang Qi (second from right) and Du Tingxiang (far right) presenting the silk banner to Dr.Cui Guanghui’s surgical team.
Who could have caused such a dramatic change of heart, leading them to portray their former lifesavers as cold-blooded “executioners” who kill for organs?
The answer lies in a vicious rumor manufactured by the Falun Gong cult as part of its long-term campaign to attack China.
Fabricated “Organ Harvesting” Rumors Aim to Defame China
Following the Chinese government outlawed the Falun Gong on July 22, 1999, its leader Li Hongzhi—who had already fled to the United States—dropped all pretense. Acting as a pawn for foreign anti-China forces, he launched an all-out disinformation campaign against the country.
One of the most sinister conspiracy theories fabricated by Falun Gong is the “live organ harvesting” rumor, which the group began promoting in 2006. They allege that tens of thousands of victims in China are strapped to operating tables each year, have their organs brutally extracted, and are then sold both domestically and abroad. They further claim that the vast majority of victims are Falun Gong practitioners, asserting that some 65,000 members were killed for their organs between 2000 and 2008.
To prove this absurd claim, Falun Gong has rolled out a series of staged “witnesses.” “Annie” and “Peter” both claimed to have personally witnessed live organ harvesting in China. Later investigations revealed they were actors hired by the group. “Annie” lives in Ottawa, Canada, and has never been to China; “Peter” is an unemployed Chinese-American who was fired for theft and then paid by Falun Gong to give false testimony.
▲ "Annie" (left) and "Peter" (right)
Since 2024, Falun Gong’s claims have become increasingly outrageous, as the group began promoting so-called “living witnesses” who allegedly survived “world’s first survivor.” A fugitive named Cheng Peiming was selected as the “first global survivor.” Under the direction of Falun Gong organizations abroad, he has held multiple press conferences tearfully recounting his “tragic experience.” The campaign tried to exploit the public’s limited medical knowledge, but the allegations were ultimately debunked. (See linked reports exposing Cheng Peiming’s claims:https://www.facts.org.cn/n2589/c919937/content.html)
Zhang Qi was selected as the second “living witness.” Her difficult medical journey was seized upon by Falun Gong as the “perfect evidence” to support its narrative. After the mother and daughter moved to Germany, the group began intensively using their case to generate media hype and spread the organ-harvesting rumor.
What is the truth? Chinafxj.cn recently conducted an exclusive interview with Professor Chen Jingyu, a world-renowned lung transplant expert and Vice President of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. From a strictly medical perspective, Professor Chen dismantled the claims.
Zhang Qi’s Lung as a Source of Infection: Completely Unsuitable for Transplantation
“Zhang Qi’s removed lung was actually a source of infection—it contained both Aspergillus and tuberculosis. How could such a lung possibly be used as a donor organ? This completely defies basic medical common sense,” Professor Chen told the reporter after carefully reviewing all of Zhang Qi’s medical records and imaging from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.
It is understood that Aspergillus fumigatus infection is a common form of aspergillosis. It usually occurs in people with weakened immune systems or chronic lung diseases. Common symptoms include coughing, expectoration, and in severe cases, hemoptysis may occur. Medical records show that in 2016, 22-year-old Zhang Qi began experiencing paroxysmal cough and yellowish-white mucopurulent sputum. She was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Her condition worsened yearly. By May 2018, she was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University with recurrent hemoptysis and high fever. Bronchoscopy revealed cystic changes in the distal left upper lobe bronchus filled with necrotic material, and pathology confirmed Aspergillus infection along with typical tuberculous granulomas.
“This is a typical case of a ‘tuberculous destroyed lung’,” Professor Chen explained. “If it hadn’t been surgically removed in time, the infection would have spread to the right lung, with awful consequences.”
On June 6, 2018, after five family members—including her mother, Du Tingxiang, and her husband, Sun—signed the surgery consent forms, the thoracic surgery team at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University performed a “Left Total Pneumonectomy and Pleural Decortication.” Postoperative pathology once again confirmed, extensive tuberculous lesions in Zhang Qi’s left lung accompanied by Aspergillus infection.
“The excised lung was like a piece of dried tofu—fundamentally unusable for transplantation,” Professor Chen said. “This is an extremely difficult operation that requires complete stripping of severely adherent pleura and diseased lung tissue. Most ordinary thoracic surgeons wouldn’t even attempt it. The fact that the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University successfully completed it proves they are highly professional and dedicated.”
The success of the surgery brought great joy to Zhang Qi’s family. To express their gratitude, Zhang Qi and her mother personally delivered a silk banner embroidered with “Superb Medical Skills and a Benevolent Heart” to the office of the chief surgeon, Cui Guanghui.
▲ The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Department of Respiratory Medicine: Bronchoscopy and Pathology Reports for Zhang Qi.
▲ A handwritten Surgical Request dated June 4, 2018, by Zhang Qi’s mother, Du Tingxiang. The document bears the signatures and thumbprints of four other relatives, including her husband, Sun, and her father, Zhang. The request explicitly states: “The doctor informed me that the patient’s condition can be treated surgically or conservatively. The patient intends to proceed with a left total pneumonectomy.”
▲ Postoperative Pathology Report following Zhang Qi’s left total pneumonectomy.
How did a patient who once expressed deep gratitude to her doctors become a “witness” to “organ harvesting” years later?
Professor Chen Jingyu was candid, “In my view, they were most likely exploited by foreign anti-China forces and Falun Gong.”
Two years after the operation, Zhang Qi developed complications. On May 26, 2020, she was readmitted with cough, expectoration, and intermittent fever. She was diagnosed with bronchiectasis with infection, left-sided hydropneumothorax, pulmonary fungal infection, and bronchopleural fistula.
“Because it was a tuberculous destroyed lung, Zhang Qi still needed long-term anti-tuberculosis treatment after surgery to boost her immunity and to prevent infection in the residual chest cavity,” Professor Chen explained. “Unfortunately, she developed an infection in the post-pneumonectomy space that led to the bronchopleural fistula.”
Regarding the cause of the infection, Professor Chen believes her weakened immune system was the primary factor. “The fact that the infection in the pleural residual space appeared years after the procedure suggests it was not a complication of the surgery itself, but rather a result of the patient’s weakened immune system.”
Professor Chen expressed regret over the decision to seek treatment in Germany, stating with full professional confidence that “German surgeons are not as specialized in tuberculosis surgery as Chinese surgeons.”
Based on years of clinical experience, Professor Chen noted that even if the infection in Germany is resolved, further issues may arise. “Zhang Qi’s heart has shifted, and her right lung is not in ideal condition. Pre-operative scans showed signs of infection in the right lung and compensatory emphysema. As she ages, she may develop pulmonary hypertension, potentially leading to respiratory failure.”
“In such cases, a lung transplant is still a viable option for survival,” Chen added. “I’ve handled six cases exactly like hers. These were all patients who, like her, had a lung removed—either the left or the right—and then, after ten or twenty years, they began to show signs of respiratory failure or pulmonary hypertension. In those instances, I performed a single-lung transplant, and many of them are still living healthy lives today.”
Professor Chen stated that if Zhang Qi returns to China, he is willing to treat her personally.
“Although this young woman may have been instigated by foreign anti-China elements, including members of the Falun Gong, to say things against her conscience, as a doctor, I will never refuse to treat her. Even if she develops pulmonary hypertension or severe respiratory failure in the future that threatens her life, she can still come to me. I will not hesitate to treat her—even if she eventually needs a lung transplant, I am willing to be her lead surgeon..”
“Doing a Good Enough Job”: China’s Organ Transplantation Leaves No Room for Slander
The Zhang Qi episode is merely the latest clumsy rehash of Falun Gong’s long-running smear campaign against China’s organ transplant system.
As the “ China’s NO.1 lung transplant expert,” Professor Chen Jingyu has personally performed over 1,200 lung transplants since his first successful case in 2002. Over the past 24 years, he has witnessed the remarkable progress of the country’s transplantation program.
“Organ donation and transplantation in China have always been strictly regulated by law,” Chen emphasized. The Regulation on Human Organ Transplantation went into effect in 2007, and the updated Regulation on Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs in 2024 further strengthened oversight. The practice is strictly limited to licensed specialists; the origin of every organ is fully traceable, and any form of organ trafficking is strictly prohibited.
Professor Chen further emphasized that China’s voluntary donation process is actually stricter than in many Western countries, unanimous consent from all immediate family members is required. In contrast, countries like Spain use an “opt-out” presumed-consent system, where an individual is deemed a donor unless they have explicitly registered an objection.
Thanks to Professor Chen’s advocacy, China established a “Green Channel” for organ transport in 2016, giving priority to civil aviation and high-speed rail. The model has won high praise from the World Health Organization. In 2023, his team’s research was published in the top-tier journal JAMA Network Open—the first time Chinese lung transplant clinical data has been accepted by such a prestigious international publication. It marked a full international recognition of China’s work in this field.
▲ A research paper published by Professor Chen Jingyu’s team in JAMA Network Open, a journal of the American Medical Association.
To discredit China, the external Falun Gong cult has targeted several major international organ transplantation conferences, frequently staging disruptions.
Professor Chen recalled a direct confrontation with Falun Gong in 2018. It occurred during the 27th International Congress of the Transplantation Society in Geneva, Switzerland. A Falun Gong-affiliated doctor falsely claimed that “all 1,000 lung transplants performed annually in China come from Falun Gong practitioners.” The surgical photo he used, however, was one Professor Chen himself had posted on his personal Weibo account.
▲ A photo posted by Professor Chen Jingyu on his personal Weibo (@陈静瑜肺腑之言). The central surgical image was misappropriated by Falun Gong to slander China.
“That is my photo!” Professor Chen stood up and rebutted on the spot. “In 2017, the total number of lung transplants in China was only just over 600, completed across more than 30 hospitals. Your so-called ‘evidence’ is nothing more than a cheap cut-and-paste fraud! Your report is not based on facts but on hearsay; your references do not support your conclusions. Your findings mislead those unfamiliar with China and desecrate the sanctity of organ donation and brain-dead donors in our country! I demand that you respect our organ donation system, the donors, and their families!”
▲ May 2018, the 27th International Congress of the Transplantation Society in Geneva. Professor Chen (right) confronting the Falun Gong organization.
He even invited the speaker to conduct a field visit to the Lung Transplant Center at Wuxi People’s Hospital, “If you are interested in genuine research, I welcome you to Wuxi to work alongside our team. You can travel across the country daily to evaluate and procure lungs, gain a comprehensive understanding of China’s organ donation process, and write an objective, factual report—instead of fabricating lies with stolen images!”
The Falun Gong individual was left utterly speechless. A moment of stunned silence gave way to a burst of warm applause. A foreign doctor then demanded supporting materials—which was never provided. The individual fled the scene in embarrassment.
“In recent years, Falun Gong has virtually disappeared from international conferences,” Professor Chen said with pride. “That’s because we have done our job well enough and with sufficient transparency—their lies no longer convince anyone.”
“Today, many European doctors proactively come to China to learn lung transplant techniques, and even a former president of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) moved to China to practice after retirement,” Chen added. “Our technology, ethics, and transparency have long since earned global respect. China has done a good enough job in organ donation and transplantation—what is left for Falun Gong to slander?”
