Jiang Yanyong

Jiang Yanyong (4 October 1931 – 11 August 2023) was a surgeon at the PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital) in Beijing, holding the rank of Major General. In April 2003, he sent an open letter to CCTV and Time magazine exposing that hospitals in Beijing were concealing SARS cases and that the actual number of patients far exceeded official figures. The letter was suppressed domestically but leaked abroad, triggering international attention and serving as a critical turning point that pressured the Chinese government to change its SARS information policy.

In 2004, Jiang was placed under house arrest for approximately 45 days after writing to the central leadership calling for a reassessment of the 1989 Tiananmen events. He subsequently remained subject to restrictions within China, though his whistleblowing action during the SARS crisis received wide international recognition, earning him awards from several press freedom and human rights organisations. He died in Beijing on 11 August 2023, aged 91.