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."
普通医学生，还在卷生卷死进八年制、5+3，卷完学业卷规培，没日没夜十几年熬下来，才将将能拿到一个新人医生的头衔。
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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!
🎧RTM Podcast Preview
This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we're unpacking the language of faking it—when prestige, titles, or overseas degrees hide a lack of real ability.
You’ll learn three metaphors, which all native speakers “just know”, but make no sense to language learners without the cultural and historical background:
镀金 (dù jīn) “gilding”—someone who gains superficial prestige through family connections or money
滥竽充数 (làn yú chōng shù) “to pass as one of the numbers with a fake skill”—blending in while lacking real ability
南郭先生 (nán guō xiānshēng) “Mr. Nan Guo”—someone pretending to have talent or knowledge but actually incompetent
Tune in at 9’15” where we break down what they mean, how native speakers use them to call out fakery, and how you can use them in real conversations.
Favourite Five
1. 特权 tè quán
privilege, special treatment
在其令人惊叹的“速成医生”道路上，隐现多处疑似特权干预、违规操作的影子 – In her meteoric rise to become a doctor, one can detect many instances of suspected special treatment and shady practice. [2]
Related:
特权镀金 tè quán dù jīn – privilege-glossed, artificially elevated by special treatment
2. 逆鳞 nì lín
reverse scales, untouchable taboo
教育公平、医疗安全，关乎普通人基本生活的两片“逆鳞”都被戳痛了 – Fair education and safe healthcare – the two cornerstones of everyday life – have touched a raw nerve among the public. [4]
More: The word in Chinese for taboo is "reverse scale of a dragon" (逆鳞 nì lín). According to legend dragons have a single reverse scale near their throat, “touch it and the dragon will rage” (触之必怒). It's a metaphor for someone’s most sensitive spot; something that must not be offended or challenged.
3. 南郭先生 nán guō xiān sheng
impostor, someone faking competence
老百姓可以接受商场里有草台班子，但绝不允许手术台上站着南郭先生 – Ordinary people may tolerate unprofessional teams in the business world, but they will never accept a fraud like Mr. Nanguo in the operating room. [3]
More: Learn more about this phrase in tomorrow’s Phrase of the Week!
Related:
滥竽充数 làn yú chōng shù - someone who fakes competence or blends in despite lacking real skill
4. 沉疴旧疾 chén kē jiù jí
chronic illness, deep-rooted problems
照见了中国医疗教育体系里盘根错节的沉疴旧疾 – It reveals the complex and deep-rooted problems in China's medical education system. [3]
5. 拔出萝卜带出泥 bá chū luó bo dài chū ní
pulling out a carrot brings the mud with it, a single revelation unearthed a deeper web of problems
董小姐只是肖医生这些年，从小三到小六中间的一个而已，算是在拔萝卜，带出的泥 – Miss Dong is just one of the many women Dr Xiao had affairs with. It can be said that issues with her were accidentally discovered in this revelation. [1]
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