The 20-Year-Old Crime That's Blowing Up on Chinese Social Media by Emily Parker

On May 4, the popular Chinese actress Yao Chen posted the following message to her 45 million followers on the microblogging site Sina Weibo: “Nineteen years ago, the young Zhu Ling was poisoned. Nineteen years later, this name has again been poisoned.”

Yao Chen is referring to a nearly two-decades old attempted murder mystery. The case has again become so blazing hot on Chinese social media that as of Saturday, the name of the victim, Zhu Ling, was censored in Weibo search results. But it's too late: The case has now been brought to the attention of tens of millions of Chinese people.

The saga goes back to 1994, when Zhu Ling, a pretty and able chemistry student at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University, was poisoned by thallium. Zhu Ling survived, but remains paralyzed and dependent on her parents for care. Nobody knows for sure why she was poisoned, and nobody has been convicted of the crime. Of course, Chinese netizens have formed their own opinions. Many have long believed that Sun Wei, Zhu Ling’s roommate and only major suspect in the case got off scot free because her uncle and grandfather were powerful communist officials. For many Chinese, this just confirms a widespread belief that officials are above the law.

Interest in Zhu Ling’s case was reignited by an unrelated story at Shanghai’s Fudan University, where a postgraduate was poisoned, also possibly by his roommate. But over the years, online interest in Zhu Ling’s case has never quite vanished. In fact, from the very beginning Zhu Ling’s story has illustrated the power of the Internet to transform Chinese lives. Zhu Ling is in bad shape today. But if it weren’t for the Internet, she likely would have died.

In 1995, Bei Zhicheng was a 21-year-old student at Peking University, where he studied mechanics. He heard that his former high school classmate, Zhu Ling, had been struck by a mysterious illness. She had been feeling sick and her hair had fallen out. Eventually she became completely bald. Zhu was being treated at the prestigious Peking Union Medical College Hospital, but local doctors were mystified. They couldn’t determine the cause of her symptoms.

One day, Bei and other students went to see Zhu in the hospital. They could only enter her room one person at a time. When it was Bei’s turn, he found Zhu lying in bed, half naked, with tubes protruding from her body. He wanted to escape but couldn’t move. At 21, the death of a peer was the furthest thing from his mind. Bei observed the desperation of Zhu’s parents. The doctors were confounded. Bei remembered someone in his dormitory talking about this thing called the Internet, via which you could communicate with people from all over the world. China at that time had very little connectivity. But Bei’s dorm mate Cai Quanqing had access to Bitnet and Usenet, computer networks that would allow him to reach out to the medical community abroad.

Bei and Cai sat down to pen a letter to the outside world seeking help for the sick Zhu. The letter began, in slightly shaky English: "This is Peking University in China, a place those dreams of freedom and democracy. However, a young, 21-year old student has become very sick and is dying. The illness is very rare. Though they have tried, doctors at the best hospitals in Beijing cannot cure her; may do not even know what illness it is. So now we are asking  the world—can somebody help us?”

The letter proceeded to describe Zhu’s symptoms in detail. It listed the tests that the doctors had done as well as their results. They went to the university computer room and located several “sci.med” newsgroups in an online directory. They then posted the letter on Bitnet and Usenet. The letter was transmitted via satellites and telephone circuits to computers at hospitals and universities all over the world. Before long, responses arrived to Cai’s mail account.

Bei says that in total, he received thousands of messages. Many of them said that Zhu had likely been poisoned by Thallium, a highly toxic heavy metal. People recommended Prussian Blue, a kind of dye, as an antidote. Prussian Blue was administered to Zhu, and she eventually showed signs of recovery.

Bei, who later went on to start a software development company, for the first time realized that the Internet was going to be a game-changer. “Before that you could not imagine there are nearly, I think, 200 doctors all over the world who can join together to diagnose this girl, and make the right diagnosis, and give treatment advice. It’s impossible to imagine, it’s like a dream,” he told me.

Unfortunately, this story has far from a happy ending. Over the years there has been intense netizen speculation that Sun Wei, Zhu’s roommate, was saved from prosecution by her family connections. Sun Wei was reportedly the only person in Zhu's circle with access to thallium. (Sun Wei denies this.) One theory is that she was motivated by jealousy. Online bulletin board sites were flooded with rumors, accusations of guilt and attempts to even hunt down Sun Wei.

We may never know what really happened. But as a satisfying verdict was never reached in Chinese courts, someone appearing to be Sun Wei ended up testifying in the court of online opinion. The pressure grew so fierce that in 2005, Sun Wei issued a statement on the popular Tianya bulletin board site. “I am innocent,” she wrote. “I am also a victim of the Zhu Ling case.” She claimed that she had been questioned by police and subsequently cleared of suspicion. Sun Wei even went as far as to scold Chinese netizens for their behavior: “On the Internet, even though everyone is just a virtual ID, one should still be rational and objective, and responsible for his own words and actions.”  

Netizens, of course, were far from convinced. Now many believe that Sun Wei has left China, and is residing in the United States. There is even a petition on the White House Web site demanding the deportation of Sun Wei. It already has thousands of signatures. And now, making matters worse, netizens suspect that weibo is covering something up. As of May 4, when you searched for Zhu Ling’s name on Sina weibo you learn that according to Chinese law, the results cannot be displayed. Even “thallium” has become a sensitive word, as are other words connected to the case.

This level of Zhu Ling-related censorship is new. Zhu Ling’s story has been floating around the Internet for years, and has even been covered by Chinese state media. But now censors are getting worried, in large part because at the end of the day, people are not simply angry about one unsolved crime. Rather, anger over this case reflects a widespread lack of trust in China’s rule of law. As long as the truth of Zhu Ling’s case hasn’t come to light and nobody has been brought to justice, one netizen wrote, “the Chinese dream can only be the powerful officials’ dream.”

Weibo censorship has only made people more angry and suspicious. One netizen wrote, “A lot of information about Zhu Ling has been censored. So we can then see that Sun Wei is the murderer.” Another said, “You can delete Weibo and the two characters for Zhu Ling. Can you [also] delete the truth?” One person encouraged microbloggers to continue inundating weibo with comments related to the crime. That way, short of Sina shutting down weibo itself, it would be impossible to erase the people’s pursuit of justice.

Of course, it would be far better if this pursuit took place through the actual legal system, rather than on the Internet. The silver lining is that intense interest on weibo is yet another sign of increasing rights awareness among ordinary Chinese, as well as a collective desire for a fairer system. From the beginning of the Zhu Ling drama, the Internet has helped ordinary citizens form networks to solve problems. It helped to save Zhu Ling’s life, and now it is ensuring that her case is not forgotten. Nor is this online activism in pursuit of an abstract notion of justice. If we don’t stand up for Zhu Ling, people reason, who will stand up for me?
That's why so many people remain fascinated by Zhu Ling's case. Bei Zhicheng puts it best: “Many of our generation have successful careers and comfortable lives,” he said. "Zhu Ling should have been one of us.”

http://goo.gl/GepxI

20年的陈年罪案引爆中国社交媒体

作者：Emily Parker
翻译：@李佳佳Audrey

5月4日，中国当红女演员姚晨在新浪微博向她的4500万粉丝发了这条微博：“青年朱令，19年前被投毒，19年后，这个名字再次中毒。”
姚晨指的是一件接近20年之久的谋杀未遂的谜案。在中国的社交媒体，该案件成了热门话题。周六，由于案件太火，新浪微博屏蔽了以受害者名字“朱令”做关键词进行的微博搜索。但为时已晚：案件已经成为上千万民众关注的焦点。
故事回溯到1994年。朱令就读于中国的名牌大学清华大学。她是一个漂亮而有才华的化学系学生。后来朱令身中铊毒，虽然幸存下来了，但是肢体瘫痪，需要依 靠父母照料生活起居。没有人确知她为什么中毒，也没有人因此判为有罪。当然，中国网民已经有了自己的观点。长久以来，许多人相信真凶就是朱令的室友孙维， 也认为作为本案唯一的重大嫌疑人，孙维之所以能脱罪，靠的是她的爷爷和叔叔，两位都是有权有势的中国gcd官员。对许多中国人来说，这不过是印证了一个普 遍的观念：权大过法。
重提朱令案，是因为另一个不相关的案件。一名复旦大学研究生被投毒，而两个案件相同之处在于宿友都可能是投毒人。不过这么多年来，网上对朱令案的关注其实 一直都没有消失。事实上，朱令案从一开始就是网络力量改变中国生活的写照。如今朱令健康依然不佳，但如果没有网络，她可能已经撒手人寰。
1995年，21岁的贝志城是北京大学力学系学生。他听说自己的高中同学朱令正受怪病折磨。她出现恶心症状，头发也逐渐全部脱落。朱令在著名的北京协和医院接受治疗，但是当地医生都对病症毫无头绪，他们都不能诊断出症状的病因。
有一天，贝志城和其他同学到医院探望朱令。他们只能一次一个人进入病房。轮到贝志城，当他看到朱令躺在床上，全身半裸还插着管子，他想离开病房，但却不能 动弹。21岁的他，以为同伴的离去是很遥远的事。看着朱令父母的绝望，医生的困惑，贝志城想起有人在他的寝室谈起过网络这种东西。通过网络，你就可以和全 世界的人沟通。当时中国很少人可以连上网络，但是贝志城的宿友蔡全清可以连上Bitnet和Usenet，让贝志城联系上国外的医疗团队。
贝志城和蔡全清坐下来，向外界写起了求助信，为病重的朱令求救。信的开头是不太流利的英语：“这里是中国的北京大学，是一个追求自由和民主的地方。但是， 有一个21岁的年轻学生病重垂死。疾病很罕见。虽然北京医院的医生都试过了，但没能治愈她，甚至不知道她得的是什么病。所以现在我们想问问全世界，有人能 帮我们吗？”
接下来他们在信里描述起了病症的细节，列出医生做过的测试和化验结果。他们到大学的电脑机房，登入了网上目录里的sci.med和其他新闻组，把信发到 Bitnet和Usenet。电子邮件通过卫星，通过电话线路，传到了全世界医院和大学的电脑。不久后，蔡全清收到了邮件回复。
贝志城称他总共收到数千封邮件。许多封邮件都写道朱令有可能是铊中毒，而铊是一种剧毒重金属。人们建议用一种叫“普鲁士蓝”的染料解毒。朱令开始服用普鲁士蓝，最后出现了治愈的迹象。
贝志城第一次意识到网络将会改变游戏规则。后来他建立了一家软件开发的公司。他告诉我：“在有网络前，你不能想象在全世界，我想有200个医生，一起给一个女孩诊断，而且还做出正确的诊断，给出治疗建议。无法想像，就像是梦一样。”
可惜，故事离大团圆结局还很远。多年来网友猜测朱令的宿友孙维由于家庭背景而免受惩处。据报道，孙维是朱令身边唯一一个能接触到铊的人。（孙维本人否认了这一点。）有人认为孙维的作案动机是嫉妒。在网络论坛谣言纷飞，处处是对孙维罪行的指控，甚至还有人想要人肉追捕孙维。
我们可能永远也不会知道真相。但是，因为中国的法院还没有一份令人满意的判决书，一个似乎是孙维的人选择了在网友的法庭上出庭作证。2005年，压力如山 的孙维在热门的天涯论坛上发帖。她写道：“我是清白无辜的。我也是朱令案件的受害人。”她表示自己已经接受po.lice审问，而且最终解除嫌疑。孙维甚 至还斥责了中国网友的行为：“在网络上虽然每个人只是一个虚拟的ＩＤ，仍然应该理智客观，为自己的言行负责。”
当然，网友远远未能相信孙维。现在很多网友相信孙维已经离开中国，住在美国。甚至，在美国白宫网站上还出现了联署，请愿美国政府驱逐孙维，而且成千上万的 人已经签了名字。如今网友还怀疑微博在隐瞒某些事情，让事态变得更严重。5月4日，如果你在新浪微博搜索朱令的名字，你会得知根据中国的法律法规，搜索结 果未予显示。其他与案件相关的词语都被屏蔽，甚至连“铊”也成了敏感词。
对朱令案的审查到了这种程度还是第一次。多年来网上一直流传着朱令的故事，就连中国的官媒也报道过。但如今审查员担忧起来了，很大一部分原因是考虑到事情 发展到最后，公众不仅仅为这件没有解决的案子生气，对案件的愤怒还反映出了公众普遍对中国的法律法规失去信心。只要朱令案件一天不能真相大白，没有人会得 到公正的对待。有网友写道：“中国梦只不过是掌权官员的梦。”
当然，微博的审查只会让民众变得更愤慨，更有疑心。一个网友写道：“许多关于朱令的信息都被屏蔽了。所以我们只能认为孙维就是真凶。”还有人写道：“你可 以删掉微博，删掉‘朱令’两个字，但你能删掉真相吗？”有人怂恿其他微博用户不断对案件进行评论，让评论写满微博。只要这样，除非新浪自己关闭了微博，对 公正的追求就不会消去。
当然，如果能通过现实的法律体系而非互联网追求公正就更好了。所幸的是，微博上的关注焦点也反映出了中国老百姓日益增强的权利意识，以及对一个更加公平的 体制的集体诉求。在朱令闹剧的开始，网络帮助来自不同关系网的普通公民一起解决问题，它协助拯救了朱令的生命，而现在网络也在让她的案件不被遗忘。而且， 网上为了追求公正这个抽象概念的行动主义也不会被忘记。人们想到，如果我们不为朱令站出来，将来谁又会为我站出来呢？