4

Wang Lei and Chen Feng were well aware that if news of a detainee being fatally beaten during detention were made public, the consequences would be immense.

Therefore, their interviews and writing had to be impeccably thorough. Every word, every sentence, even every punctuation mark had to be factual, without the slightest margin for error.

Next, they split up to interview various government departments involved in Sun Zhigang's case, verifying every detail of Sun Zhigang's final days.

Sun Zhigang was beaten to death, as confirmed by the forensic report – an undisputed fact. So, the next question was: Who killed him?

Answering this question didn't seem difficult. Within three short days from his detention to death, Sun Zhigang had only been to three places: the police station, the detention center, and the hospital. Whoever killed him was either from the police station, the detention center, or the hospital. These were all government-owned facilities. How could someone die mysteriously inside them in broad daylight without an explanation?

Yet, there was no explanation.

The police station refused the reporters entry, insisting on approval from the sub-bureau for an interview. The sub-bureau passed the responsibility to the municipal public security bureau. However, despite faxing interview outlines, they received no response.

The detention center outright denied any involvement. The head of a department at the Guangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau told Chen Feng and Wang Lei, "We are 99.9% sure that no one is beaten in the detention center."

They visited the hospital twice.

On their first visit, the security guard at the entrance asked who they were looking for. Sun Lusong, who accompanied them, mentioned wanting his son's clothes back. The guard said they were burnt and advised them not to return. Wang Lei showed his press pass, called the administration office using the lobby phone, but the on-call doctor paid no attention to them.

Wang Lei became furious and insisted on entering. Several security guards approached to pull him back, and Sun Zhigang's family quickly pulled him away. The security immediately locked the heavy iron gate.

On their second attempt, Chen Feng and Wang Lei arrived together. Seated in the newspaper's interview vehicle, they honked at the hospital gate. Surprisingly, the previously menacing guards failed to recognize them from the previous encounter. Without questioning, they swung open the large iron gate.

Once inside the hospital, they identified themselves and their purpose. Suddenly, the person they spoke to stood up abruptly and yelled, "Get out!"

After much effort, Wang Lei managed to conduct a phone interview with a responsible person from the hospital's medical education department. She claimed the hospital was equipped with cameras, under constant surveillance, and it was impossible for Sun Zhigang to have been beaten inside the hospital.

All three departments absolved themselves of any involvement.

Chen Feng and Wang Lei did everything they could, gathering the necessary information. They still didn't know who the perpetrator was, how many were involved, or the manner of the assault. However, they were completely certain: Sun Zhigang was beaten to death, and the assailants were from these three places. Someone had to be held accountable.

The next step was to write this story and present it to the public.

On April 25, "Southern Metropolis Daily" published the report written by Chen Feng and Wang Lei. The headline in bold read: "The Death of Detainee Sun Zhigang."

This headline was set by Deputy Editor-in-Chief Yang Bin. Initially, there was a discussion about emphasizing Sun Zhigang's status as a university graduate. However, Yang Bin suggested highlighting his identity as a detainee.

The night before, Wang Lei and Chen Feng spent over three hours writing the article. They waited until the early morning to review the layout. By the time they returned home, it was already late at night. Chen Feng's mind was restless; he couldn't sleep, uncertain about the repercussions of the report's publication. Just as he dozed off, he was awakened by a call early in the morning, saying the impact of the report exceeded expectations and asked him to rush to the newspaper office.

Arriving at the office, Wang Lei was already busy, handling faxes and answering calls. The report had garnered thousands of comments on Sina News, and the hotline at the newspaper was overwhelmed.

One reader said: "I'm in Shenzhen. Even if I had a temporary residence permit, I'd be scolded and made to squat on the ground."

Another one shared: "I went to Beijing with dreams of starting a business. A temporary residence permit is only 29 yuan, and I really wanted to get one, but because my landlord didn't provide a rental certificate, I couldn't obtain it. Then one morning, I was taken away. Why did this happen? I graduated from university, abide by the law, love my country, eager to help others, sincerely kind-hearted, and pay taxes dutifully. Why?"

Some readers also said: "I read your article 'The Death of Detainee Sun Zhigang' this morning, and I felt extremely emotional and angry. I am from Hunan and have been in Guangdong for 8 years. I've been to the detention center six times and once sent back to Hunan. Although I now own a factory, like most migrant workers, I've experienced the fear and helplessness of being detained multiple times. We strive to progress, work hard, and contribute to the country's prosperity, but we don't know how long these policies will continue.

'The Death of Detainee Sun Zhigang' is not just a piece in the Southern Metropolis Daily, but it can be said to be the most impactful report in the history of Chinese news, igniting the anger of all Chinese people.

They want to know how Sun Zhigang died and how society came to this.

They also ask: 'Is everyone like Sun Zhigang? Will I be the next Sun Zhigang?'

The pressure from public opinion forced the investigation into Sun Zhigang's case to become a top priority for the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. Police are not journalists, but they can always solve the cases they want to investigate. Soon, over a dozen individuals involved were arrested, some apprehended outside the province and brought back for trial.

Everything that Sun Zhigang experienced after being detained, the brutal truth of the night he was beaten to death, and the dirty secrets of that fatal hospital, were finally unveiled.

It was darker than you could imagine.

5

Let's take another look at the last few days of Sun Zhigang's life, what he went through.

On March 17, Sun Zhigang was taken to the police station. There, a strange record was left stating that when asked about his stable residence, livelihood, and legal documents, Sun Zhigang's responses were all 'none'.

This was completely contrary to the truth and could never have come from Sun Zhigang.

At 2 a.m. on March 18, Sun Zhigang was taken to the Tianhe Public Security Branch Detention Center. After the police signed the 'consent for detention and repatriation,' he was formally detained and sent to the detention center.

On the morning of the 18th, Sun Zhigang reported having heart problems due to nervousness, palpitations, and insomnia, requesting release or treatment. Later, people speculated that he might have lied about having heart problems, thinking that the treatment in the hospital would be slightly better than at the detention center.

He was mistaken. It was a place he should never have gone.

On the night of the 18th, he was taken to the Jiangcun Inpatient Department of the Guangzhou Brain Hospital. At this point, he was still okay. But from entering the hospital to the announcement of his death, his life lasted less than 35 hours.

Three buildings in the hospital were designated as treatment stations specifically for the basic care of patients among the detained individuals. Unlike regular hospitals, the doors and windows of each room in the treatment station were fitted with iron grilles, resembling a prison. Behind these grilles often echoed the cries of the distressed.

What Sun Zhigang didn't know was that multiple deaths among the treated detainees occurred here, and the frequency was abnormal. In October, November, December of 2002, and the first 20 days of January 2003, the numbers of deaths were 16, 15, 15, and 12 respectively.

No one knew why they died, and no one was required to explain.

Over 200 detained individuals were treated here, but there were only four doctors, several nurses, and ten attendants. These so-called attendants never received any nursing training; they wore camouflage uniforms, carried batons, and held power over the lives of the patients. The patients referred to them as security guards.

These attendants, in this unique role, directly led to Sun Zhigang's tragedy.

Sun Zhigang's first ward in the hospital was Ward 201 in Area 1, where 10 mental patients were kept. After being with these mentally ill individuals for a whole day, he couldn't take it anymore.

At that moment, when a patient was being discharged and some relatives came to pick them up, Sun Zhigang took the opportunity, shaking the iron grille and shouting, "I am Sun Zhigang, a worker at Daqi Clothing Company, a graduate of Wuhan University of Science and Technology. I am being beaten up in here!"

In his innocence, he thought seeking help in this way might be effective, but in reality, no one helped convey his message. This action instead angered someone, and that person took his life.