China Focus: Father's crowdfunding for sick daughter raises questions

A father who raised money by posting online journals depicting his daughter suffering from leukemia sparked controversy among Chinese web users before local authorities started an investigation Thursday.

The father Luo Er wrote an article last Friday about his five-year-old daughter Luo Yixiao, who was diagnosed with low blood platelets in September.

Yixiao was soon hospitalized in southern China's Guangdong Province. To raise money "in a decent way" for the girl's treatment, Luo began writing about his daughter and her illness on WeChat.

His journals were not widely read until Xiaotongren, a financial company in Shenzhen, Guangdong, said it would donate one yuan (0.145 U.S. dollars) for each reposting of the article.

His latest heart-wrenching article "Luo Yixiao, Stop," quickly went viral on Chinese social media.

In the article, Luo said he was applying for the Red Cross Angel Plan. "I do not want to take advantage of the government, either in the past or right now," he wrote. "I want to tell my daughter that I am doing all I can, and she must wait for me."

He "chided" his daughter in the article: "Luo Yixiao, stop and don't run away! If you are not a good girl and go home with me, even if you are an angel, even if you run to heaven, one day when we meet there I will not talk to you."

By Wednesday, the article had been read and liked by more than 100,000 people on WeChat, raising more than 2 million yuan including donations from readers.

Though many people forwarding Luo's journal, it was later disclosed that he had three apartments and a car, suggesting he had the financial means to save his daughter.

This caused debate among web users, with many denouncing Luo as a cheat, taking advantage of people's kindness.

"Shame on him," said a web user nicknamed MoliJasmine. "Some of those who helped are even poorer than him."

One web user wrote: "Social resources are limited and so is people's kindness. When someone feels cheated, they may hesitate next time someone needs help. In this sense, Luo harmed the interests of those really in dire need."

Others showed understanding. "Whatever the truth, respect for life is the bottom line. The girl does need help, after all," said web user Yao Ruifang.

The Shenzhen Children's Hospital said Yixiao is in serious condition.

Information from the social insurance management bureau of Shenzhen showed that Yixiao's medical treatment cost 204,200 yuan; Luo had paid for about 18 percent, or 36,200 yuan, with social insurance service covering the rest.

In an interview, Luo explained his behavior: "At first I thought I could afford her medical treatment, but the moment my daughter was taken into ICU I began to panic."

He admitted to having three apartments. "I bought an apartment in Shenzhen in 2002 and later two in Dongguan. The apartments in Dongguan cannot be sold [at this time]. My car was bought in 2007, the value of which is less than 10,000 yuan."

The management of online donations on social media was also questioned.

WeChat provides a service for users to make donations by forwarding an article, but caps the daily limit at 50,000 yuan. After Luo uploaded his article, the number soon went beyond the limit.

WeChat made a late-night apology Thursday claiming that due to a "systems bug" it failed to stop counting when the number of reposts exceeded the limit.

Luo said he is planning to set up a foundation for children living with leukemia, with the money raised.

The Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau is investigating Luo's fundraising, and has promised to publicize the results in a timely manner.

The Internet has become an important channel for fundraising. According to 2015 figures from the China Association of Fundraising Professionals, funds worth 437 million yuan involving 1.1 billion donations were raised online in 2014.

Jin Jinping, a professor with the Beijing University Law School and director of the Nonprofit Organizations Law Center, put the reaction to Luo's behavior in to context.

"Chinese people normally believe that asking for help from strangers is the last way to solve a problem," she said. "They tend to use up their own money and borrow from their relatives and friends before turning to strangers. Many people have found this was not true in Luo's case. Some of the donors are less wealthier than him."

Jin went on to point out that aside from the morality of Luo's actions, he may even have been in violation of civil laws.

"A man who deliberately spreads false information or conceals facts to ask for help would be considered a fraud and such conduct violates civil law," Jin said. "So one should be responsible for his information. On the other hand, the website or social media he was using to raise money also has a responsibility to double-check." Endi