An auxiliary police officer in Henan named "Xinan" learned 30 years later that his college entrance exam score had been taken by someone else, who later became vice president of a hospital. Now in his 50s, Xinan has taken up legal action, seeking justice for his "stolen life." Chinese netizens are hotly debating: Who is responsible for this "life swap"?
Xi Nan, an auxiliary police officer at a local public security bureau in Jiaozuo, Henan Province, took the college entrance examination in 1990 but did not receive an acceptance letter. Mistakenly believing he had failed, he joined the public security system as an auxiliary police officer, a position he held for 35 years. In July 2022, 52-year-old Xi Nan received a notice from a staff member of the Mengzhou Health Commission, shockingly learning that he had passed the college entrance examination 30 years prior, but his acceptance letter had been withheld.
Modern Express reported that a fellow student, originally named "Li Mougang," enrolled at Jiaozuo Medical School under the name "Li Xinan," using Xinan's student ID. After graduation, he was assigned to a public office in the Mengzhou health system. During a review of Li Xinan's personnel files, the personnel department of the Mengzhou Municipal Health Commission discovered discrepancies between Li Xinan's name, date of birth, parents' names, and educational background, as recorded in the "High School Graduate Registration Form" and "College Admissions Candidate Registration Form," and the "Basic Information Form for Students at Jiaozuo Medical School in Henan Province" and the "Graduation Appraisal Form for Students at Jiaozuo Medical School." Li Xinan has since become deputy director of the Xiguo Town Health Center in Mengzhou City and has been selected as a Mengzhou Good Doctor.
Following the incident, the Mengzhou Municipal Health Commission reportedly dismissed the imposter, "Li Xinan," from his public office and revoked his secondary technical school diploma and medical license. However, Xinan noted that the case has not been referred to judicial authorities for two years, and the imposter and forger have yet to be held accountable, a fact he finds difficult to reconcile. Xinan added that, having come from a rural background, studying was his only option. He believed it was fate, but to have his opportunity stolen was a devastating shock, beyond words. Li Xinan claimed that his father and uncle handled the enrollment procedures.
Official announcement: A joint investigation team has been formed
According to an official announcement from Qinyang City on April 22, the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have established a joint investigation team consisting of the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, the Public Security Bureau, the Court, the Education Bureau and other departments.
Chen Pokong, a current affairs commentator living in the United States, pointed out in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the absurd phenomenon of going to school under a false identity is not uncommon in China. The drama of the auxiliary police officer's stolen life was not exposed until more than 30 years later. It is a rather outrageous black humor incident. However, there are more black boxes that have not been investigated and dealt with. The victims will never know the truth in their lifetime, or even if they find out, they will not be able to drive away the imposter and are helpless.
Chen Pokong said, "This reflects the totalitarian dictatorship in China, which is free from oversight and checks and balances. This is especially true when it comes to power-for-money transactions and official-business deals, which allow for complete fraud. Collusion between the education system and the children of officials, stealing places from children of ordinary people and replacing them with those of officials, is widespread in China. Bribery, corruption in education, academia, and society are all too common."
Chen Pokong: China's totalitarian dictatorship lacks oversight, allowing for rampant counterfeiting and impersonation at every level.
Chen Pokong pointed out that in China, admissions offices, education systems, and university officials can manipulate the exam process, the release of results, and admissions, corrupting admissions lists at every level. They bribe admissions offices and university administrators to manipulate admission lists, issuing admissions letters to imposters instead of successful applicants. This unfair system offers no protection for ordinary citizens. Especially since the 1990s, with economic development, collusion between officials and businessmen, and money-for-power transactions have become rampant, leading to rampant corruption in academia and education. Falsified papers, falsified academic degrees, and cheating by proxy have all become commonplace, similar to match-fixing and refereeing in football.
Guo Bin, a graduate of Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications who was tortured in Chinese prisons and fled to the United States, also mentioned in an interview with Radio Free Asia that China is not like Taiwan, which has a democratic system. It has legislators, county and city councilors, and village representatives, and has channels for appeals and checks and balances. The outstanding children of farmers and low-level workers have their education and employment opportunities taken away and their jobs impersonated, and they lack channels to speak out and appeal.
Guo Bin further pointed out that such things as using a false identity to go to school, obtain good official positions, and become a teacher or director in key high schools mainly occur in counties and towns, indicating that such personal relationships still exist in China's grassroots governance.
Guo Bin emphasized: "Human relations and power outweigh so-called laws. Even if people at the bottom are smart and hardworking, they are still deprived of some opportunities. And this deprivation is not carried out by one person, but by people with power, such as local officials, police station chiefs, deputy county heads, and secretaries of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. They will contact the Education Bureau, the Education Bureau will contact school leaders, and the school leaders will contact these people. So it is a set process, operated by multiple people."
In his opinion, China's examination system is generally fair, and the problem lies in the tampering of the admission list.
Guo Bin: Even if Xi Nan had not been impersonated, it would have been difficult for him to hold a high position without power or money.
Regarding impersonation cases, Guo Bin emphasized that while bribery requires money, it's more about power dynamics. "There's a fixed circle here, and outsiders can't get in. You might spend one million yuan, but some people won't accept it. Money isn't enough; you need power, like being someone's sister or niece, to buy that power. The dynamics of a county town are a complex web of interests entwined among dozens of families; it's not simply a matter of money."
The incident of an auxiliary police officer being impersonated, which was only exposed 30 years later, sparked heated public debate. Guo Bin attributes this to the age of self-media. Previously, shouting at the top of one's voice fell on deaf ears, but now simply posting a message on Douyin or Xiaohongshu can create influence. The fact that the incident was once suppressed but is now exposed may indicate that those involved in the fraud have lost power, or that they offended certain officials in the government, prompting them to be hyped up to bring them down.
Guo Bin said that although the case of forged documents has become a big deal, the Communist Party still cares about public feedback, but will not punish officials at the division level and will only target minor cases.
Guo Bin said it's unfortunate that the auxiliary police officer's life was stolen, but if he hadn't been impersonated and had actually gone to college, would he have achieved the position of the person whose identity was stolen? "I don't think so, because he has no social resources. He would only have a few more options than his current life. In fact, the subsequent career of the person who stole his life was paved for him by that person's family."
Shandong has uncovered more than 240 cases of people obtaining academic qualifications by impersonating others.
In 2020, Chen Chunxiu from Guan County, Shandong Province, discovered that someone had impersonated her and enrolled in university 16 years earlier. She had assumed she had failed the college entrance exam, but she hadn't realized the imposter's father had spent 2,000 RMB (approximately US$2,000) to purchase her student status from an intermediary, effectively depriving her of her university dream. Following media reports, an additional 242 individuals in Shandong Province were found to have obtained academic qualifications under other people's names, sparking public outcry.
Radio Free Asia reported at the time that Chen Chunxiu demanded the restoration of her dignity and honor. The Shandong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision announced the results of its investigation, implicating 46 individuals, including a school admissions director, a postal bureau deputy director, a high school principal, a police station chief, and an assistant to the university's academic dean, in fraudulently obtaining admission letters, falsifying documents and household registration records. The investigation resulted in penalties ranging from dismissal to a warning. Chen Chunxiu, dissatisfied, threatened to sue, questioning how her graduation certificate, admission ticket, ID card, and household registration booklet, all of which were properly kept, could have been exploited.
The investigation results showed that the father and relative of the impostor were the owner of a foreign trade company and the former village head. They used political and business capital to break through the checkpoints in the college admissions chain one by one. The public security organs and police stations assisted in stealing and forging household registrations. The high school principal and director helped replace the files. The university's Academic Affairs Office turned a blind eye to the admission review and eventually kicked Chen Chunxiu out.
This station has also reported that for over a decade, cases of students impersonating others in school have persisted, including those from Hubei, Henan, and Hunan, including Wang Junliang, Luo Caixia, and Shandong. China's criminal law provides for the punishment of students impersonating others. If prosecuted as abusing power or accepting bribes, they could face prison sentences of over three years and ten years, respectively. The problem lies in insufficient law enforcement and oversight. We must eliminate the channels for fraud, eradicate household registration and student registration fraud, and strictly investigate and punish civil servants.
