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{{Short description|Chinese student part of the experimental treatment DC-CIK}}
'''Wei Zexi''' ({{zh|s=魏则西|p=Wèi Zéxī}};<ref>{{cite news|last1=Yu|first1=Mengtong|title=中国官媒谈魏则西事件：绝症患者应坦然面对生死 - 美国之音|url=http://www.voachinese.com/content/article/3318168.html|accessdate=11 May 2016|agency=Voice of America China|date=May 6, 2016|language=Chinese}}</ref> 1994 – April 12, 2016) was a 21-year old Chinese college student from [[Shaanxi]] who died after receiving experimental treatment for [[synovial sarcoma]] at the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps, which he learned of from a promoted result on the Chinese search engine [[Baidu]].
'''Wei Zexi''' ({{zh|s=魏则西|p=Wèi Zéxī}};<ref>{{cite news|last1=Yu|first1=Mengtong|title=中国官媒谈魏则西事件：绝症患者应坦然面对生死 - 美国之音|url=http://www.voachinese.com/content/article/3318168.html|accessdate=11 May 2016|agency=Voice of America China|date=May 6, 2016|language=Chinese}}</ref> 1994–2016) was a 21-year old Chinese college student from [[Shaanxi]] who died after receiving DC-CIK, an experimental treatment for [[synovial sarcoma]] at the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps; he had learned of it from a promoted result on the Chinese search engine [[Baidu]].


Wei's death lead to an investigation by the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]], prompting Chinese regulators to impose new restrictions on Baidu advertisements. State media outlets broadly condemned the role of the hospital and Baidu in his death, and users online denounced Baidu's advertising practices. Baidu shares fell almost 14 percent in the days following reports of his death.
Wei's death led to an investigation by the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]], prompting Chinese regulators to impose new restrictions on Baidu advertisements. State media outlets broadly condemned the role of the hospital and Baidu in his death, while users online additionally denounced Baidu's advertising practices. Baidu shares fell almost 14 percent in the days following reports of Wei's death.


==Treatment and death==
==Treatment and death==
In 2014, Wei was diagnosed with [[synovial sarcoma]], a rare form of cancer that affects tissue around major joints. After he received radiation and chemotherapy, his family sought out other treatments.<ref name="xinhua"/><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|last1=Abkowitz|first1=Alyssa|last2=Chin|first2=Josh|title=China Launches Baidu Probe After the Death of a Student|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-launches-baidu-probe-after-the-death-of-a-student-1462209685|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref> Through a [[Search engine marketing#Paid inclusion|promoted result]] on the Chinese search engine [[Baidu]], Wei discovered the [[Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps]], a state military-run<ref name="wsj2"/> hospital which provided [[immunotherapy]] treatments for those with his illness.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|last1=Ramzy|first1=Austin|title=China Investigates Baidu After Student’s Death From Cancer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/world/asia/china-baidu-investigation-student-cancer.html|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=New York Times|date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> State radio operations claimed Wei's family trusted the treatment because it had been "promoted by one of the military hospitals which are considered credible, and the attending doctor had appeared on many mainstream media platforms".<ref name="reuters">{{cite news|title=China to investigate Baidu over student's death, shares dive|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-baidu-idUSKCN0XT0XN|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Reuters|date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> Wei went through four treatments at the hospital, spending upwards of 200,000 yuan (${{nts|{{To USD|200000|CHN|round=yes}}}} USD) with his family, but the treatments proved unsuccessful, and Wei died on April 12, 2016.<ref name="xinhua">{{cite news|title=聚焦魏则西事件：志愿者曾递申请 盼终止网络假广告|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2016-05/03/c_128953402.htm|accessdate=11 May 2016|agency=Xinhua|date=May 3, 2016|language=Chinese}}</ref><ref name="wsj"/> Before his death, Wei accused Baidu of promoting false medical information, and he denounced the hospital for claiming high success rates for the treatment.<ref name="reuters"/>
In 2014, Wei was diagnosed with [[synovial sarcoma]], a rare form of cancer that affects tissue around major joints. After he received [[Radiation therapy|radiation]] and [[chemotherapy]], his family sought out other treatments.<ref name="xinhua"/><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|last1=Abkowitz|first1=Alyssa|last2=Chin|first2=Josh|title=China Launches Baidu Probe After the Death of a Student|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-launches-baidu-probe-after-the-death-of-a-student-1462209685|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref>


Through a [[Search engine marketing#Paid inclusion|promoted result]] on the Chinese search engine [[Baidu]], Wei discovered the [[Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps]], a state and military-run<ref name="wsj2" /> hospital which provided an [[immunotherapy]] treatment called DC-CIK for those with synovial sarcoma.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/business/china-private-hospitals-putian.html|title=Scandals Catch Up to Private Chinese Hospitals, After Fortunes Are Made|work=The New York Times |date=15 November 2018 |access-date=2018-11-16|language=en |last1=Wee |first1=Sui-Lee }}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news|last1=Ramzy|first1=Austin|title=China Investigates Baidu After Student's Death From Cancer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/world/asia/china-baidu-investigation-student-cancer.html|accessdate=10 May 2016|work=New York Times|date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> State radio operations claimed Wei's family trusted the treatment because it had been "promoted by one of the military hospitals which are considered credible, and the attending doctor had appeared on many mainstream media platforms".<ref name="reuters">{{cite news|title=China to investigate Baidu over student's death, shares dive|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-baidu-idUSKCN0XT0XN|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Reuters|date=May 3, 2016}}</ref>
==Government investigation and public response==
⚫
Following Wei's death, several Internet users expressed disdain for Baidu's advertising practices. Wei posted an essay responding to the question "What do you think is the greatest evil of human nature?" on the Chinese question-and-answer website [[Zhihu]] which described his experience receiving treatment. The essay, which condemned Baidu's advertising practices, received 44,000 "agrees" and thousands of comments.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Baidu should have even higher standards than Google, because it’s all China’s citizens have|url=http://qz.com/674991/baidu-should-have-even-higher-standards-than-google-because-its-all-chinas-citizens-have/|first=Huang|last=Zheping|publisher=[[Quartz]]|date=4 May 2016}}</ref> On May 2, 2016, the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] announced it would investigate Baidu's role in Wei's death, noting his death "drew widespread attention from Internet users".<ref name="wsj"/><ref>{{cite news|title=CEO of China's Baidu summoned over student death|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ceo-chinas-baidu-summoned-over-student-death-060004416.html|accessdate=10 May 2016|agency=AFP|publisher=Yahoo News|date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> A Baidu spokeswoman said the company would cooperate with investigations, asserting that Baidu "will give no quarter to fake information or illegal activities online". Some Internet users critical of Baidu began referring to it as {{lang|zh|百毒}} ({{zh|p=Bǎidú}}), or “100 poisons.”<ref name="nyt"/>


Wei went through four treatments at the hospital, spending upwards of 200,000 [[Yuan (currency)|yuan]] (${{nts|{{To USD|200000|CHN|round=yes}}}} USD) with his family, but the treatments proved unsuccessful, causing Wei to die on April 12, 2016.<ref name="xinhua">{{cite news|title=聚焦魏则西事件：志愿者曾递申请 盼终止网络假广告|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2016-05/03/c_128953402.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506025132/http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2016-05/03/c_128953402.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 6, 2016|accessdate=7 January 2019|agency=Xinhua|date=May 3, 2016|language=Chinese}}</ref><ref name="wsj" /> Before his death, Wei accused Baidu of promoting false medical information; he also denounced the hospital for claiming high success rates for the treatment.<ref name="reuters" />
Unlike other search engines such as [[Google]] and [[Yahoo]], promoted search results on Baidu are not clearly distinguished from other content.<ref name="vice">{{cite news|title=China Is Investigating Search Engine Giant Baidu Following Student's Death|url=https://news.vice.com/article/china-is-investigating-search-engine-giant-following-students-death|date=May 3, 2016|publisher=VICE News|agency=VICE News and Reuters}}</ref> The investigation concluded that Baidu's pay-for-placement results influenced Wei's medical choices, and influenced the fairness and objectivity of search results. Regulators ordered Baidu to attach "eye-catching markers" and disclaimers to adverts, reduce the amount of promoted results to 30% of the page, and establish better channels for users to complain about their services. Baidu released a statement accepting the results of the investigation, and announced it would implement the recommendations promptly. Baidu also plans to create a one billion yuan (${{nts|{{To USD|1000000000|CHN|round=yes}}}} USD) fund to compensate users who suffer demonstrable economic harm from paid results.<ref name="wsj2">{{cite news|last1=Alyssa|first1=Abkowitz|last2=Chin|first2=Josh|title=China Orders Baidu to Revamp Advertising Results in Online Searches|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-orders-baidu-to-revamp-advertising-results-in-online-searches-1462798762|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=May 9, 2016}}</ref> A separate investigation also found the hospital where Wei received treatment had been illegally working with private healthcare businesses.<ref name="yahoo2">{{cite news|title=China curbs Baidu healthcare ads business after student's death|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-curbs-baidu-healthcare-ads-115453575.html|accessdate=10 May 2016|agency=Reuters|publisher=Yahoo News|date=May 9, 2016}}</ref>


==Aftermath==
Baidu shares fell nearly 14 percent following reports of Wei's death in early May 2016.<ref name="reuters"/><ref name="yahoo2"/> Chinese state media outlet [[Xinhua]] and the ''[[People's Daily]]'' condemned Baidu for Wei's death, the former stating that "making money by allowing companies to pay for better search placement is to put a good tool in the hands of interest-seekers with bad intentions".<ref name="wsj"/> One later editorial in the ''[[People's Daily]]'' called Wei's death a "classic" example of the unrealistic "Chinese-style" search for an impossible cure. Around 250,000 people commented on the piece; several denounced the piece for casting the incident as a failure of the family rather than one of Baidu and the hospital.<ref name="scmp">{{cite web|title=Chinese newspaper People’s Daily faces backlash after warning patients against ‘miracle cures’|first=Zhuang|last=Pinghui|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1942067/chinese-newspaper-peoples-daily-faces-backlash-after|publisher=South China Morning Post|accessdate=10 May 2016|date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> Wei's death also brought attention towards medical entrepreneurs connected with the Putian system, a group of hospitals named after their origin in [[Fujian Province]]. Putian hospitals relied extensively on online advertisements, and Chinese media outlets criticized these promotions' accuracy. Some Chinese media outlets suggested the Putian system was linked with the hospital, but a nurse working at the hospital told the [[Xi'an]] newspaper ''Huashang Bao'' the hospital was self-managed.<ref name="nyt"/>

=== Public response ===
⚫
Following Wei's death, several Internet users expressed disdain for Baidu's advertising practices. Wei posted an essay responding to the question "What do you think is the greatest evil of human nature?" on the Chinese question-and-answer website [[Zhihu]] which described his experience receiving treatment. The essay, which condemned Baidu's advertising practices, received 44,000 agrees and thousands of comments.<ref name="nyt" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Baidu should have even higher standards than Google, because it's all China's citizens have|url=http://qz.com/674991/baidu-should-have-even-higher-standards-than-google-because-its-all-chinas-citizens-have/|first=Huang|last=Zheping|publisher=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|date=4 May 2016}}</ref>

Baidu shares fell nearly 14 percent following reports of Wei's death in early May 2016.<ref name="reuters" /><ref name="yahoo2">{{cite news |date=May 9, 2016 |title=China curbs Baidu healthcare ads business after student's death |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-curbs-baidu-healthcare-ads-115453575.html |accessdate=10 May 2016 |publisher=Yahoo News |agency=Reuters}}</ref> Chinese state media outlet [[Xinhua]] and the ''[[People's Daily]]'' condemned Baidu for Wei's death, the former stating that "making money by allowing companies to pay for better search placement is to put a good tool in the hands of interest-seekers with bad intentions".<ref name="wsj" />

One later editorial in the ''[[People's Daily]]'' called Wei's death a "classic" example of the unrealistic "Chinese-style" search for an impossible cure. Around 250,000 people commented on the piece; several denounced the piece for casting the incident as a failure of the family rather than one of Baidu and the hospital.<ref name="scmp">{{cite web |last=Pinghui |first=Zhuang |date=May 7, 2016 |title=Chinese newspaper People's Daily faces backlash after warning patients against 'miracle cures' |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1942067/chinese-newspaper-peoples-daily-faces-backlash-after |accessdate=10 May 2016 |publisher=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

Wei's death also brought attention towards medical entrepreneurs connected with the Putian system, a group of hospitals named after their origin, [[Putian]] in [[Fujian Province]]. Putian hospitals relied extensively on online advertisements, and Chinese media outlets criticized these promotions' accuracy. Some Chinese media outlets suggested the Putian system was linked with the hospital, but a nurse working at the hospital told the [[Xi'an]] newspaper ''Huashang Bao'' the hospital was self-managed.<ref name="nyt" />

=== Investigations ===
On May 2, 2016, the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] announced it would investigate Baidu's role in Wei's death, noting his death "drew widespread attention from Internet users".<ref name="wsj" /><ref>{{cite news|title=CEO of China's Baidu summoned over student death|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ceo-chinas-baidu-summoned-over-student-death-060004416.html|accessdate=10 May 2016|agency=AFP|publisher=Yahoo News|date=May 3, 2016|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513235406/https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ceo-chinas-baidu-summoned-over-student-death-060004416.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> A Baidu spokeswoman said the company would cooperate with investigations, asserting that Baidu "will give no quarter to fake information or illegal activities online". Some Internet users critical of Baidu began referring to it as "Bǎidú" ("{{lang|zh|百毒}}"), or "100 poisons."<ref name="nyt" />

Unlike other search engines such as [[Google]] and [[Yahoo!]], promoted search results on Baidu are not clearly distinguished from other content.<ref name="vice">{{cite news|title=China Is Investigating Search Engine Giant Baidu Following Student's Death|url=https://news.vice.com/article/china-is-investigating-search-engine-giant-following-students-death|date=May 3, 2016|publisher=VICE News|agency=VICE News and Reuters}}</ref> The investigation concluded that Baidu's pay-for-placement results influenced the fairness and objectivity of search results and therefore influenced Wei's medical choices. Regulators ordered Baidu to attach "eye-catching markers" and disclaimers to advertisements, reduce the amount of promoted results to 30% of the page, and establish better channels for users to complain about their services.

Baidu released a statement accepting the results of the investigation and announced it would implement the recommendations promptly. Baidu also planned to create a one billion yuan (${{nts|{{To USD|1000000000|CHN|round=yes}}}} USD) fund to compensate users who suffered demonstrable economic harm from paid results.<ref name="wsj2">{{cite news|last1=Alyssa|first1=Abkowitz|last2=Chin|first2=Josh|title=China Orders Baidu to Revamp Advertising Results in Online Searches|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-orders-baidu-to-revamp-advertising-results-in-online-searches-1462798762|accessdate=10 May 2016|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=May 9, 2016}}</ref>

A separate investigation also found the hospital where Wei received treatment had been illegally working with private healthcare businesses.<ref name="yahoo2" />


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

{{Baidu}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:2016 in China]]
[[Category:2016 in China]]
[[Category:Baidu]]
[[Category:Baidu]]
[[Category:Medical scandals]]
[[Category:Medical scandals in China]]
[[Category:Deaths from synovial sarcoma]]

Latest revision as of 23:32, 9 January 2025

Wei Zexi (Chinese: 魏则西; pinyin: Wèi Zéxī;[1] 1994–2016) was a 21-year old Chinese college student from Shaanxi who died after receiving DC-CIK, an experimental treatment for synovial sarcoma at the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps; he had learned of it from a promoted result on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

Wei's death led to an investigation by the Cyberspace Administration of China, prompting Chinese regulators to impose new restrictions on Baidu advertisements. State media outlets broadly condemned the role of the hospital and Baidu in his death, while users online additionally denounced Baidu's advertising practices. Baidu shares fell almost 14 percent in the days following reports of Wei's death.

Treatment and death

[edit]

In 2014, Wei was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects tissue around major joints. After he received radiation and chemotherapy, his family sought out other treatments.[2][3]

Through a promoted result on the Chinese search engine Baidu, Wei discovered the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps, a state and military-run[4] hospital which provided an immunotherapy treatment called DC-CIK for those with synovial sarcoma.[5][6] State radio operations claimed Wei's family trusted the treatment because it had been "promoted by one of the military hospitals which are considered credible, and the attending doctor had appeared on many mainstream media platforms".[7]

Wei went through four treatments at the hospital, spending upwards of 200,000 yuan ($31,008 USD) with his family, but the treatments proved unsuccessful, causing Wei to die on April 12, 2016.[2][3] Before his death, Wei accused Baidu of promoting false medical information; he also denounced the hospital for claiming high success rates for the treatment.[7]

Aftermath

[edit]

Public response

[edit]

Following Wei's death, several Internet users expressed disdain for Baidu's advertising practices. Wei posted an essay responding to the question "What do you think is the greatest evil of human nature?" on the Chinese question-and-answer website Zhihu which described his experience receiving treatment. The essay, which condemned Baidu's advertising practices, received 44,000 agrees and thousands of comments.[6][8]

Baidu shares fell nearly 14 percent following reports of Wei's death in early May 2016.[7][9] Chinese state media outlet Xinhua and the People's Daily condemned Baidu for Wei's death, the former stating that "making money by allowing companies to pay for better search placement is to put a good tool in the hands of interest-seekers with bad intentions".[3]

One later editorial in the People's Daily called Wei's death a "classic" example of the unrealistic "Chinese-style" search for an impossible cure. Around 250,000 people commented on the piece; several denounced the piece for casting the incident as a failure of the family rather than one of Baidu and the hospital.[10]

Wei's death also brought attention towards medical entrepreneurs connected with the Putian system, a group of hospitals named after their origin, Putian in Fujian Province. Putian hospitals relied extensively on online advertisements, and Chinese media outlets criticized these promotions' accuracy. Some Chinese media outlets suggested the Putian system was linked with the hospital, but a nurse working at the hospital told the Xi'an newspaper Huashang Bao the hospital was self-managed.[6]

Investigations

[edit]

On May 2, 2016, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced it would investigate Baidu's role in Wei's death, noting his death "drew widespread attention from Internet users".[3][11] A Baidu spokeswoman said the company would cooperate with investigations, asserting that Baidu "will give no quarter to fake information or illegal activities online". Some Internet users critical of Baidu began referring to it as "Bǎidú" ("百毒"), or "100 poisons."[6]

Unlike other search engines such as Google and Yahoo!, promoted search results on Baidu are not clearly distinguished from other content.[12] The investigation concluded that Baidu's pay-for-placement results influenced the fairness and objectivity of search results and therefore influenced Wei's medical choices. Regulators ordered Baidu to attach "eye-catching markers" and disclaimers to advertisements, reduce the amount of promoted results to 30% of the page, and establish better channels for users to complain about their services.

Baidu released a statement accepting the results of the investigation and announced it would implement the recommendations promptly. Baidu also planned to create a one billion yuan ($155,038,760 USD) fund to compensate users who suffered demonstrable economic harm from paid results.[4]

A separate investigation also found the hospital where Wei received treatment had been illegally working with private healthcare businesses.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Yu, Mengtong (May 6, 2016). "中国官媒谈魏则西事件：绝症患者应坦然面对生死 - 美国之音" (in Chinese). Voice of America China. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "聚焦魏则西事件：志愿者曾递申请 盼终止网络假广告" (in Chinese). Xinhua. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Abkowitz, Alyssa; Chin, Josh (May 2, 2016). "China Launches Baidu Probe After the Death of a Student". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b Alyssa, Abkowitz; Chin, Josh (May 9, 2016). "China Orders Baidu to Revamp Advertising Results in Online Searches". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  5. ^ Wee, Sui-Lee (15 November 2018). "Scandals Catch Up to Private Chinese Hospitals, After Fortunes Are Made". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  6. ^ a b c d Ramzy, Austin (May 3, 2016). "China Investigates Baidu After Student's Death From Cancer". New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "China to investigate Baidu over student's death, shares dive". Reuters. May 3, 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  8. ^ Zheping, Huang (4 May 2016). "Baidu should have even higher standards than Google, because it's all China's citizens have". Quartz.
  9. ^ a b "China curbs Baidu healthcare ads business after student's death". Yahoo News. Reuters. May 9, 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  10. ^ Pinghui, Zhuang (May 7, 2016). "Chinese newspaper People's Daily faces backlash after warning patients against 'miracle cures'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  11. ^ "CEO of China's Baidu summoned over student death". Yahoo News. AFP. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  12. ^ "China Is Investigating Search Engine Giant Baidu Following Student's Death". VICE News. VICE News and Reuters. May 3, 2016.
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