Four US college instructors hospitalized after stabbing in Chinese park

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 1 minute read

Four American university professors are currently hospitalized after being stabbed by an unidentified assailant in a public park in China.

According to a statement from Cornell College in Iowa, the incident, described as serious, occurred while the instructors were visiting the park during the day, in the northern province of Jilin.

Iowa Rep. Adam Zabner revealed that his brother, David, was among those injured, calling the event a stabbing.

He mentioned that the group was exploring a local temple on Monday when they were attacked by a man brandishing a knife.

Zabner said his brother was stabbed in the arm at Beishan Park in Jilin City and was currently recovering in hospital.

He said: “He hasn’t been released yet this morning but he is doing well. »

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said he was aware of reports of a stabbing incident in Jilin but could not provide additional details.

Cornell College announced that the four instructors were teaching through a partnership with a Chinese university.

When they visited the park on Monday, they were accompanied by a representative from Beihua University. Although Chinese authorities have yet to comment on the incident, images of the aftermath quickly spread on social media.

Photos appear to show at least three injured people bleeding and lying on the ground. However, reports of the incident appear to have been quickly censored online in China.

On Tuesday, searches for keywords such as “Jilin foreigners” yielded no results on Weibo, even though the term was trending. Netizens turned to related discussion topics and asked for more details about the event.

Chinese state media provided limited coverage of the incident.

Rep. Zabner mentioned that his brother, a doctoral student at Tufts University, had previously visited China and was on his second trip with Cornell College.

Despite tense diplomatic relations, Beijing and Washington have recently tried to revive people-to-people exchanges.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has outlined a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over the next five years, while Chinese diplomats note that a U.S. State Department travel advisory has deterred Americans from visiting in China.