Mr. Yang, a tourist from Hangzhou, claimed that he and his wife were driving to Zhangjiajie for a Spring Festival trip when they had an argument with the female boss of a restaurant due to poor service. The female boss chased his pregnant wife out of the store and started fighting with her. The next day after the incident, Mr. Yang, who was in Zhangjiajie without any relatives or friends, posted a Weibo plea for help, and local officials contacted them through Weibo.
Yang told reporters yesterday about the experience he and his wife had during their trip to Zhangjiajie over the Spring Festival. He said that on the fifth day of the New Year (January 27), he and his 37-year-old wife, who was more than two months pregnant, traveled to Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. They had dinner at "Northeastern Chinese Restaurant" where they got into an argument with the female boss, which escalated into a physical fight.
"After calling the police three times, the officers finally arrived," Yang said. Once at the police station, no statements were taken, no injury reports were filed, and there was no timely handling of the situation. The next day, Mr. Yang and his wife, feeling isolated in a strange city, sought help via Weibo. On January 29, Mr. Gong Houqin, the deputy secretary of the Zhangjiajie City Urban Management Bureau, contacted them through Weibo and reported the matter to the "Peace and Satisfaction in Zhangjiajie" special activity office. That afternoon, the Zhangjiajie police held a meeting, demanding high attention to this "tourism-related incident" and forming a special investigation team. The Deputy Secretary General of the municipal government and the Public Security Bureau Director separately visited Mrs. Wang in the hospital, and Mayor Zhao Xiaoming called to offer condolences.
Due to Mrs. Wang being under treatment for preserving the fetus and the delay in injury assessment, the responsibilities of both parties have not yet been determined, and the event has been preliminarily identified as a public security case triggered by a dispute.
Last night, Mr. Yang and his wife flew to Shanghai and will return to Hangzhou this morning for further treatment. Mr. Yang stated that depending on the success of the treatment, he would pursue legal responsibility for the perpetrator. The head of the Yongding Police Station of the Zhangjiajie Public Security Bureau, Xiong Jian dang, told reporters that if both parties sustained minor injuries, it would be handled as a general public security case; if one party sustained injuries beyond the level of minor, it would be classified as a criminal case.
The dispute was caused by slow food service. Mr. Yang and his wife drove to Zhangjiajie for tourism. On the evening of January 27, they ordered four dishes at the "Northeastern Chinese Restaurant" in Dàyōng Fǔchéng, almost finished eating, when the female boss finally brought the last dish. "Her service attitude was extremely bad, and she responded rudely to any request." Mr. Yang said. After paying the 128 yuan bill, the female boss still taunted them, saying, "If you don't eat, just throw it away." Mrs. Wang, upset, took the last dish out and threw it away. Unexpectedly, the female boss chased her out of the store and started fighting with her. Mr. Yang said his wife was pregnant, but the female boss continued hitting her while saying, "I'm also pregnant, I'll stop short of killing you!"
Mr. Yang repeatedly called 110 for help. According to his account, the Yongding Police Station officers arrived half an hour later, taking the relevant individuals back to the station for investigation. After nearly an hour of deadlock at the police station, his wife was sent to the hospital.
However, the "Event Situation Statement" issued by the Yongding Police Station on January 31 claimed that it took only seven minutes from receiving the command center's order to arriving at the scene. Subsequently, the police let Mrs. Wang go to the hospital first, and then dealt with the rest.
Yesterday, Chief Xiong Jian dang of the Yongding Police Station told reporters, "Zhangjiajie police's ability to respond to emergencies and efficiency are not up to par with those in eastern cities. In handling local public security cases, we allow the injured party to seek treatment first and determine responsibility after discharge, failing to consider the feelings of tourists stranded in an unfamiliar city. This is our oversight."
The police delivered 4000 yuan as condolence money.
On the afternoon of January 28, Mr. Yang posted a Weibo plea for help, which caught the attention of Mr. Gong Houqin after being forwarded. Through private messages, Mr. Gong visited Mr. Yang and his wife in the hospital the next morning. After understanding the situation, he reported the event to the municipal government's "Peace and Satisfaction Office." That afternoon, the city and district public security authorities held a meeting regarding the case, demanding high attention to this "tourism-related incident", conducting thorough inspections, forensic evaluations, gathering evidence, and consoling the injured parties. The Municipal Bureau's Inspection Room was tasked with investigating the 110 emergency response situation.
That afternoon, a Deputy Secretary General of the municipal government, entrusted by Mayor Zhao Xiaoming, visited Mrs. Wang in the hospital; the Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau also visited and delivered a total of 4000 yuan as condolence money. Mayor Zhao Xiaoming also called to express condolences to Mrs. Wang and promised to ensure satisfactory results from the relevant departments.
According to family members, Mrs. Wang initially refused to accept the condolence money. Mr. Gong Houqin explained, "The condolence money represents the apology of the Zhangjiajie government for the harm you suffered and shows the sincerity of the public security department in handling the case fairly. It is unrelated to the outcome of the case." Mrs. Wang eventually accepted the condolence money.
The parties questioned the case report.
On January 31, the Yongding Police Station issued a Weibo statement titled "Situation Explanation of the '1・27' Tourism-Related Incident", stating that the Yongding Branch had formed a special investigation team, the case details were largely clear, and further action would be taken based on the injury assessments and on-site investigations to clarify responsibilities.
Mr. Yang and his wife did not agree with some descriptions in the statement, such as "the police arrived at the scene within 7 minutes" and "Mrs. Wang returned to the store after dumping the food outside." Mr. Yang proposed seven opinions: "Please correct the inaccurate statements," "Transfer the pregnant woman back to Hangzhou for treatment," "Reserve opinions on the progress and results of the handling," "Properly preserve the evidence," "Determine the nature of the case based on the success of the fetal preservation and make it public." On the afternoon of January 31, Chief Xiong Jian dang discussed these seven points with Mr. Yang and his wife. "We have reached a consensus on these seven points, and the leadership also approved," said Xiong Jian dang.
Last night, Mr. Yang and his wife flew back, and their car was driven back to Hangzhou by the police officers. Their medical expenses, accommodation fees, and return flight tickets totaling over 5000 yuan were covered by the female boss of the restaurant. "We don't want to argue about nutritional compensation or mental distress compensation. Whether the handling is satisfactory or fair doesn't matter now; what's most important is that the fetus can be preserved," Mrs. Wang said.