The People's Government of Songcun Town in Qinxian county, Changzhi city of Shanxi issues a statement addressing recent online allegations that a local villager "was mutilated by her biological parents as a child—losing one hand and an ear—because a fortune teller claimed this would help them have a son." Photo: screenshot

 
An allegation circulating on Chinese social media involving a villager from a township in North China's Shanxi Province mutilated by her biological parents "to help them have a son," the people's government of the town issued a statement on Thursday, clarifying that the woman shown in the online video was found to be an abandoned infant with injuries and later adopted by a villager. The exact cause of her injuries remains under investigation, media reported on Friday. 

The People's Government of Songcun Town in Qinxian county, Changzhi city of Shanxi issued a statement addressing recent online allegations that a local villager "was mutilated by her biological parents as a child—losing one hand and an ear—because a fortune teller claimed this would help them have a son."

According to the statement, the town government took the matter seriously and, together with public security authorities, promptly launched an investigation. 

The investigation found that the woman shown in the video is a resident of Songcun village. She was discovered as an abandoned infant by a villager surnamed Pian on the evening of October 9, 2002, inside a cardboard box along a provincial highway. 

At the time, the baby girl had injuries to her right ear and upper limb, and her right hand was missing. Pian took her to a hospital for treatment and later adopted her, formally registering the adoption with the county civil affairs bureau.

Regarding claims that she was intentionally harmed, interviews with the rural doctor who initially treated her, county hospital physicians, and several villagers indicate that these allegations remain speculative. The exact cause of her injuries is still under investigation by public security authorities, the statement said.

It also noted that both Pian and the adopted woman are covered under the rural subsistence allowance program, with the latter receiving disability subsidies. She and her husband now operate a small business in Songcun, selling fried dough sticks and tofu pudding, which provides enough income to support their daily livelihood.

Global Times