More than 300,000 people in China have donated about 20 million yuan (US$2.3 million) within days to a struggling Beijing charity hospital that treats children born with cleft lip and palate, the South China Morning Post reported.
The Beijing Smile Angel Children’s Hospital, located in the capital’s Chaoyang district, is a paediatric facility focused on congenital facial deformities. Since opening in 2012, it has performed about 16,000 free surgeries, many for children from low-income families in northwestern and southwestern China.
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The hospital is funded by the Beijing Smile Angel Fund and was established by eight founders, including actor-turned-businessman Li Yapeng and his former wife, Hong Kong singer Faye Wong. The charity was launched in 2006 after their daughter was born with a cleft lip and received surgery in the United States.
Li has previously spoken publicly about long-standing financial difficulties. In a February 2024 livestream, he discussed struggling to repay decade-old debts and appealed to viewers for donations toward daily living expenses, according to entertainment outlet 8days. Court records show Li was ordered in 2022 to repay 180 million yuan following a lawsuit tied to a failed investment.
In the livestream, Li said he had been “repaying my debts for almost 10 years” and that he is “in so much trouble.”
Public sentiment shifted on Jan. 14, when Li posted a video warning the hospital owed 26 million yuan (US$4 million) in rent and faced possible closure. Within five days, donations surged and parents of former patients publicly voiced support.