Documentary: Thousands of “Digital Moms” Rally to Support “Xiao Luoxi”
“Most netizens came from provinces and cities outside of Ningbo, with some even traveling from Xinjiang, over 4,000 kilometers away.”
“With the exception of personnel arranged by the court itself, no one was permitted to enter the courtroom to observe the proceedings.”
“Many netizens who could not be there in person sent supplies such as milk tea and mineral water to those on-site via food delivery apps.”
“One young female delivery worker even purchased heat packs for the netizens at her own expense.”
“Network signals were suspected to have been jammed by the authorities, preventing them from sending out real-time updates. Additionally, multiple netizens reported that their livestreams were blocked and their accounts banned.”
“Dozens of ‘unidentified individuals’ appeared at the scene. Organized by ringleaders, they held national flags and shouted slogans; some even mistakenly shouted ‘Go elementary school students’ instead of ‘Go Xiao Luoxi.’ After being rejected when attempting to distribute flags to the netizens, these individuals briefly clashed with the crowd.”
“Their performance was called out on the spot by a brave woman who asked: ‘Who paid for these flags? Do you think people can’t see you’re acting? What kind of patriotic charade are you staging here?'”
“At noon, the trial concluded. The ride-hailing vehicle carrying Xiao Luoxi’s mother appeared inside the court compound. The crowd instantly erupted, shouting slogans such as ‘Stay strong!’, ‘Go Deng Rongrong!’, and ‘Long live the Chinese people!’ Suddenly, the vehicle stopped. Xiao Luoxi’s mother and grandmother stepped out, bowing and kneeling to thank the netizens. Witnessing this scene, the netizens on-site were moved to tears.”
“On that day, none of the ‘Big Vs’ (verified influencers), internet celebrities, or stars that netizens had expected showed up. The scene was filled entirely with the most ordinary ‘digital moms’ and ‘digital dads’ from across China. As one netizen stated: ‘Only ordinary people help ordinary people.’ Another netizen commented on social media: ‘If Xiao Luoxi loses, that will be the best advertisement for sterilization. Because we ordinary people cannot protect our own children.'”
On January 19, the highly watched “Xiao Luoxi” case was heard in the Haishu District Court of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Thousands of so-called “online moms” and “online dads” from across China gathered outside the courthouse to show their support. At the scene, a courageous woman loudly questioned dozens of people holding national flags: “Who paid for these flags? Do you really think people can’t tell this is staged? What kind of so-called patriotic performance are you putting on?” Most of those holding the flags were wearing masks and were suspected to have been organized by the local authorities.
Tens of Millions of “E-Mothers” Ignite a Tsunami of Public Opinion to Seek Justice for Ningbo’s “Little Luoxi” (2025.12.19–21)
On December 19, 2025, after 35 days of desperate appeals and online pleas, the parents of “Little Luoxi” in Ningbo finally received the decisive forensic report they had been waiting for. Yet the appraisal—issued by renowned forensic pathologist Liu Liang—not only failed to calm the controversy; it detonated like a deep-sea bomb, unleashing a rare storm of public opinion across China’s internet. Tens of millions of so-called “e-mothers” clashed fiercely online with organized “water army” accounts representing the interests of Ningbo University Affiliated Women and Children’s Hospital, battling over the final truth behind a lost young life.
Autopsy Truth: A Lethal Surgery That Was “Manufactured”
According to the autopsy report, the cause of death of the five-month-old infant was chilling: intraoperative pulmonary vein obstruction, severe pulmonary edema, damage to the cardiac conduction system, and hemorrhagic shock. What shocked public opinion most, however, was the truth about the alleged heart defect.
Before surgery, medical records and operative notes from the Ningbo women and children’s hospital repeatedly emphasized that Luoxi had a “7-mm sinus venosus atrial septal defect with unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.” This is a complex and rare congenital heart disease—and it was the core reason the lead surgeon, Chen Junxian, strongly urged the family to consent to surgery. He claimed it was “absolutely necessary” and a “basic procedure with a very high success rate.”
The autopsy results brutally shattered that narrative. During dissection, forensic experts found no trace of an “unroofed coronary sinus syndrome” or a “coronary sinus–type atrial septal defect.” Instead, they identified only a 3-mm secundum atrial septal defect. Under current medical consensus, such a small, simple defect is extremely common in infants and carries a very high likelihood of spontaneous closure. Mainstream clinical guidance typically recommends follow-up observation until preschool age, rather than high-risk open-heart surgery in a five-month-old infant.
Moreover, the autopsy revealed internal bleeding of approximately 70 milliliters. For a five-month-old baby, this exceeds half of the total blood volume—meaning the child essentially bled out on the operating table.
“This wasn’t a failed operation—this was murder,” Luoxi’s mother, Ms. Deng, sobbed upon seeing the report. “Chen Junxian, you have children of your own. How could you bear to torment a five-month-old baby for nine hours and let her bleed dry?”
Inside the Profession: Infants as “Guinea Pigs” for Profit?
Why would Chen Junxian operate on a child who was nearly healthy? As the autopsy report surfaced, multiple cardiac surgery specialists and senior physicians offered chilling speculation online.
Some insiders noted that, with China’s declining birth rate and the widespread adoption of prenatal screening, pediatric congenital heart surgery is approaching “patient source exhaustion.” Combined with the siphoning effect of top hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, hospitals in second-tier cities like Ningbo struggle to retain patients. Against this backdrop, Chen Junxian may have been under intense pressure to meet surgical-volume KPIs. Insiders speculate that, despite ambiguous ultrasound findings and recommendations for further CTA confirmation, he skipped additional diagnostic confirmation and rushed Luoxi onto the operating table to keep the case.
An even more disturbing hypothesis is that a fatal intraoperative error was the primary cause of death. A cardiac surgeon using the handle “Curry Chicken” analyzed that Chen may have misidentified the right lower pulmonary vein as the nonexistent “coronary sinus atrial defect” and sutured it, causing pulmonary vein obstruction and triggering severe pulmonary edema and heart failure. In an attempt to conceal the mistake or attempt a salvage, the operation—promised to last three hours—dragged on for more than seven hours, including a second thoracotomy, ultimately resulting in the child’s death.
Online disclosures appeared to corroborate these professional suspicions. One mother said she had a similar experience: in 2024, she took her child to Ningbo University Affiliated Women and Children’s Hospital and also saw Chen Junxian, who used the same rhetoric to persuade her to proceed with surgery. Fortunately, she later took her child to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, where doctors told her surgery was unnecessary.
“After opening the chest and finding there was no 7-mm hole—if you realized you couldn’t do it, wouldn’t stitching the child up still have spared her life?” countless netizens asked. But reality was unforgiving: errors on the operating table ultimately took Luoxi’s life. Further digging by online users suggested that Chen Junxian may have been linked to other similar fatal cases that were never properly addressed.
After the autopsy report was released, legal experts noted that if the evidence chain can establish subjective intent on the part of the physician, health authorities should immediately transfer the case to public security organs for criminal investigation under charges such as intentional injury or intentional homicide, rather than confining it to administrative medical accident review.
The Public Opinion War: Whitewashing and Character Assassination
Faced with conclusive autopsy findings and surging public outrage, Ningbo University Affiliated Women and Children’s Hospital and the surgeon involved did not choose to apologize. Instead, they launched a smear campaign against the victim’s family. After the autopsy report was published, the hospital briefly issued a statement attempting to redefine the defect size and justify the surgery, only to delete it within 20 minutes. Meanwhile, numerous influential accounts—including “White-Coated Lynx,” “Bean Mom Liu Fang,” and “Monk Bug Doctor”—posted coordinated, misleading content to “whitewash” the hospital’s actions. Some accounts even maliciously leaked Ms. Deng’s past miscarriage history and other private medical records, attempting to divert public attention through personal attacks.
This crossing of ethical red lines enraged the public. Large numbers of medical professionals, several celebrities, and massive numbers of netizens spoke out in rebuttal, engaging the paid commentators in fierce debate.
“We thought once the results came out, we’d made it ashore—turns out the water is even deeper,” one netizen wrote angrily.
“E-Mothers” Let the “Wind from Ningbo” Blow Across the World
If not for the parents’ resilience—and if not for the courageous community of “e-mothers”—this tragedy might long ago have been buried under the vague label of “surgical complications.”
From the family’s online plea on November 14, to public crying in the town square on the 17th, to today’s nationwide outpouring of support, tens of millions of “e-mothers” have become the backbone of this movement. Because they empathize more deeply, their stance has been more resolute than that of ordinary netizens.
In the early stages, heavy censorship and mass deletions caused public attention to cool. It was the “e-mothers” who launched the relay campaign known as “The Wind from Ningbo,” spreading Luoxi’s story across China and eventually around the world. Over the past month, the group has steadily grown. They have closely followed every move of Luoxi’s mother, publishing articles and videos across platforms, calling out in comment sections, and even paying out of pocket for promotions—all to counter omnipresent censorship.
Their actions extended offline as well. They launched campaigns to place slogans on cars and handbags, determined to carry Luoxi’s story to every corner of the city. They called government offices at all levels in Ningbo to lodge complaints, demanding justice. When related merchandise was taken down from e-commerce platforms, they even began printing and distributing slogans themselves.
As the “e-mothers” put it: “We don’t want to see another baby die in tears because of surgical errors. All we can do is keep bumping the posts and not let the heat fade.” And: “Even if unscrupulous people spread rumors and smears, you have tens of millions of e-parents behind you. You must hold on and see this through, until the wrongdoers are brought to justice.”
Their persistence ensured that the Luoxi case did not fade into silence like so many similar tragedies. Instead, one month later, it has evolved into a phenomenon-level public event, concentrating immense attention and anger.
Seeking Justice in a Rotten System
Despite the forensic conclusion, despite hundreds of millions of eyes watching and tens of millions of “e-mothers” standing in support, Luoxi’s parents still face a long road ahead—because they are confronting entrenched interest networks and a deeply decayed medical system.
One “e-mother” left a message that captured the shared sentiment of many: “The impact of the Luoxi case on me outweighs everything I learned from the sages in the first half of my life. It woke me up. Living in what looks like a prosperous age, I don’t think I’ll ever again be moved to tears by media paeans to ‘peace and prosperity.’”
“Ningbo Baby ‘Little Luoxi’ Dies After Minimally Invasive Surgery; Mother’s Protest Draws Massive Online Support (2025.11.17)”
On the evening of November 17, at Tianyi Square in Haishu District, Ningbo, Ms. Deng — who had lost her infant daughter just one day earlier — recounted to supportive citizens how Little Luoxi passed away, and publicly accused Dr. Chen, director of the cardiology department at Ningbo Women and Children’s Hospital. Over the previous two days, her story had gone viral on social media, drawing tens of millions of views. Many local residents arrived at Tianyi Square after seeing the news online. However, Ms. Deng’s attempt to seek accountability was blocked by the police.
Low-risk minimally invasive surgery goes wrong; 5-month-old baby dies
According to Ms. Deng, her daughter, born prematurely on May 26, 2025, had been growing well under careful family care. During a routine checkup on November 11, doctors discovered atrial septal defects — two secundum holes measuring 3 mm and 7 mm. After researching similar cases, Ms. Deng learned that many children naturally recover after age one. But Dr. Chen insisted surgery should be done early, claiming delayed treatment might affect lung and brain development. He also told the family the procedure was common and low-risk, with only a 1% complication rate and an expected duration of 2.5 to 3 hours.
Little Luoxi underwent surgery at 7:48 a.m. on November 14. However, the operation dragged on far beyond expectations — it still had not concluded by 3 p.m. The family repeatedly called the hospital for updates but received no response. Around 4 p.m., a doctor finally informed them the surgery was “not going very smoothly,” and reluctantly admitted that the chances of survival were “fifty-fifty.” At 4:37 p.m., the baby was wheeled out of the operating room, swollen and covered in tubes, and transferred to the ICU. Although doctors still claimed the procedure had been successful, Ms. Deng immediately sensed that “my daughter was already gone” and requested emergency assistance from partner specialists in Shanghai. The hospital agreed, but according to Ms. Deng, “no Shanghai doctor ever came.” At 10:03 p.m., the hospital pronounced Little Luoxi dead. Ms. Deng described her daughter’s face as severely swollen and darkened, with blood marks and tears still visible.
Family suspects the hospital concealed critical information; attempts to view footage met with force
The family later learned that the initial surgery had actually ended around 1 p.m., but doctors performed a second procedure afterward. By then, Little Luoxi was already in critical condition — yet none of this was disclosed to the family. The total procedure lasted nearly nine hours, with 7 hours and 12 minutes of general anesthesia. The family believes prolonged anesthesia and a second opening of the chest directly led to the baby’s death.
The hospital refused the family’s request to review surgical footage and deployed security staff to forcibly drag them into an area without surveillance cameras. Ms. Deng said she was beaten by security guards. At Tianyi Square, she showed supporters a large bruise on her thigh.
Online support surges as the mother turns to the internet for help
After failing to communicate with the hospital, Ms. Deng turned to social media, posting a detailed account and listing three demands:
The provincial health commission must dispatch an expert team to investigate and disclose the surgical footage and truth behind the incident.
Dr. Chen must publicly apologize so that her daughter may “rest in peace.”
The hospital must announce disciplinary actions against Dr. Chen, including revoking his medical license to prevent future harm.
Her post quickly gained widespread attention. Thousands of users on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and other platforms amplified her story. Some pointed out that Dr. Chen had been involved in previous incidents; in June, he was accused of causing the death of another one-year-old child, but the hospital allegedly suppressed the case. Others noted that atrial septal defects are common and that holes under 5 mm typically require only observation rather than surgery.
After public pressure, the hospital issues a statement; online posts begin disappearing
On November 17, Ningbo Women and Children’s Hospital announced it had suspended Dr. Chen and opened an investigation, promising to cooperate with the family and address any medical malpractice according to law. The Ningbo Health Commission also stated that the incident had been classified as a “major medical dispute.” Meanwhile, many related posts on social media began disappearing or being restricted.
