(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhang HongqianChinese Name: 张宏谦Gender: MaleAge: 60sCity: NingjinProvince: HebeiOccupation: PhysicianDate of Death: January 25, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 6, 2022Most Recent Place of Detention: Ningjin County Detention Center
A physician in Ningjin County, Hebei Province, died on January 26, 2026, while on probation for practicing Falun Gong. His wife, who is serving a 7.5-year prison term for her shared faith, did not get to see him one last time.
The tragedy of Dr. Zhang Hongqian and Ms. Ju Yuxia, both in their 60s, stemmed from their arrests, along with their son, at their home-based health clinic on April 22, 2022. The three of them were released under house arrest the next day, only to be taken back into custody months later on July 6, 2022.
While the couple’s son was released on bail on August 2, 2022, Dr. Zhang and Ms. Ju remained detained. Both of them were abused in detention and suffered significant health damage. Dr. Zhang was taken to the Xingtai City Prison Hospital and then the Shijiazhuang Prison Hospital. He saw no improvement despite the treatments.
The Ningjin County Court deceived Dr. Zhang into dropping his lawyer in March 2023 and appointed a lawyer to enter a guilty plea for him against his will. He was secretly tried on March 31 that year and sentenced to three years in prison.
The same court tried Ms. Ju on April 18, 2023, and sentenced her to seven and a half years with a 10,000-yuan fine. Her appeal was rejected by the Xingtai City Intermediate Court in July 2023. She was admitted to Hebei Province Women’s Prison at an unknown time.
Dr. Zhang was released on medical parole on May 23, 2023, but the court later changed his sentence to three years with four years of probation. The police installed surveillance cameras on his front door and in his yard, and forced his son to pay 900 yuan to cover the cost of equipment and installation.
Dr. Zhang had systemic edema when he returned home. His genitals, in particular, were extremely swollen. It is unclear what torture he may have been subjected to that resulted in the extreme swelling. He was slow to respond and often got confused. He also fell multiple times. The local judicial office ordered him to write weekly thought reports and check in with them daily using a facial recognition app on his phone. Whenever he failed to do so, they called to threaten him. They also put restrictions on where he could go.
While struggling with poor health himself, Dr. Zhang was also extremely worried about his jailed wife, who had also become gravely ill due to abuse in custody. When Ms. Ju’s lawyer visited her in the Xingtai City Prison Hospital on July 5, 2023, he noted that her legs and eyes were also very swollen. She complained about feeling dizzy and weak. She couldn’t open one of her eyes and gradually lost vision in the other eye. The hospital doctors also diagnosed her with proteinuria (protein loss in urine, a sign of damaged kidneys).
Ms. Ju faced ongoing abuse at the Hebei Province Women’s Prison and could no longer take care of herself. She needs two people to help her when walking. Her son’s request to have her released was repeatedly denied. The guards also forced her to write to her husband and son saying that “all is well in prison.”
Dr. Zhang was further traumatized by his wife’s ordeal, and his health kept declining. He died on January 25, 2026.
A Beloved Couple
Dr. Zhang was known for his integrity, professionalism, and patient-centered care. Both locals and patients from out of town came to his clinic and there was always a long line every day. In China, appointments are usually not needed, and patients simply walk in and are seen on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Ms. Ju has a very cheerful personality. As her husband was busy honing his professional skills and seeing patients, she was in charge of educating their children and running the clinic’s day-to-day operations. When the couple first opened the clinic more than three decades ago, very few patients knew about it, so Ms. Ju also did farm work to supplement the family income.
Falun Gong taught Ms. Ju to live by its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and turned her into a better person. One of her pet phrases was, “We can’t take advantage of others, and doing more work than others won’t cost us anything.” That was how she educated her children when they were young and how she required of herself in her interactions with people. Whenever anyone needed help, she never hesitated to lend a hand.
In China, patients usually must pay first before receiving care. Ms. Ju and Dr. Zhang, however, never turned away any patient who could not afford medical treatment. They treated every patient with respect and dignity, regardless of their financial situation. Sometimes out-of-town patients would show up during their lunch breaks, and the couple would drop everything to tend to them so that they wouldn’t have to wait.
Over the years, their patients gave the couple many pennants (little banners) with messages showing their appreciation and gratitude.
The couple also had a pharmacy in their clinic (in China, many hospitals and clinics run their own pharmacies). During the COVID pandemic, many pharmacies artificially raised the prices of fever medications. But Ms. Ju refused to engage in price gouging. When some patients commented that the prices she charged were even lower than wholesale pharmacies, she said, “The pandemic has made everyone’s life harder. If we can save our patients any money, we will.” When the pandemic control workers posted outside their clinic began coughing, Ms. Ju gave them cough medicines for free.
Related Report:
Ms. Ju Yuxia Loses Appeal Against Lengthly Prison Sentence, Physician-Husband Awaits Indictment
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