Stories of ‘beating the odds’ in China draw dark responses from wary public

Wave of online scepticism about two stories of survival and success in China point to deeper public dissatisfaction.

A honeymoon in Western Tibet came to a tragic end in October when the newlyweds crashed their car on a mountain road after suffering altitude sickness.

Sitting in the passenger seat, 27-year-old Yu Yanyan from Shanghai was badly injured.

Despite being transferred to a local hospital, rapid haemorrhaging and a lack of adequate blood stocks meant that she was unlikely to make it.

But drawing on the couple’s network and connections, Yu’s husband was able to secure blood donations from local civil servants and members of the public in that area of Tibet that helped to stabilise his bride.

Yu’s father then arranged a chartered plane to fly her to a larger hospital for more advanced surgery.

The operation to save Yu’s life was a remarkable effort in China – where many lack access to quality healthcare – especially in remote regions, such as Tibet.

Some also said it was unbelievable.

Bai Xinhui, who is also from Shanghai like Yu, began to follow the story after a now-recovering Yu posted a video about her near-death experience.

“It was really beautiful to hear how so many people worked together and contributed to saving her life,” Bai, a 26-year-old UX designer, told Al Jazeera.

At the same time though, Bai was left wondering whether ”a regular person could get so much help”.

“Maybe her husband and her have very good connections or come from very rich families,” Bai said.

“Maybe it’s all true, maybe it’s only half true,” she said, suspicious that some of the details of the rescue might have been altered to make public officials appear in a more positive light.

“It is sometimes difficult to know what to believe