By Li Muzi, Wendy Xue
Amid heightened public anxiety over the Chinese Communist Party’s organ-harvesting scandals, parents in Guangdong province were outraged following two separate incidents involving elementary schools: one in Guangzhou that drew students’ blood without informing parents, and another in Dongguan that required parents to provide a reason if they refused their children’s blood collection.
According to Jiangnan Metropolitan News, a parent in Guangzhou’s Haizhu District reported on Nov. 6 that their first-grade child at a private elementary school had blood drawn during an on-campus medical check — yet no parents received any prior notification.
School administrators confirmed the incident and said the bloodwork was part of a routine health-screening program mandated by the Haizhu District Education Bureau for first-grade students, not something initiated by the school. Officials said the policy had been in place for years and implemented uniformly across nearby public and private schools.
However, parents were stunned when online posts surfaced claiming teachers had told students it was a “secret mission” and warned them they would “lose little red flowers” (a common merit award in Chinese classrooms) if they told their parents.
When confronted, one homeroom teacher reportedly switched off their phone, and the school later suggested that some teachers “may have forgotten” to notify families.
Social media erupts: ‘Who are you harvesting organs for?”
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The incident triggered a wave of anger. On China’s Douyin (Chinese TikTok), one parent left a furious message: “What is your school doing? Instead of teaching, you’re drawing blood? Who are you matching organs for this time? My child is my life. If you want their blood, leave your life behind.”
Around the same time, multiple Dongguan parents posted the city’s new “Student Health Examination Notice,” jointly issued by the Dongguan Health Bureau and Education Bureau. The notice announced that all primary and secondary students would undergo annual physical exams that included blood tests, liver and lung function, and other laboratory screenings — all funded by school budgets.
Although the form technically provided both “agree” and “disagree” checkboxes, a note underneath stated that parents who refuse must write an explanation.
On Nov. 18, a Douyin user claiming to be a Dongguan parent posted a screenshot of another notice titled “Regarding the 2025–2026 School-Year Student Health Examination.” The notice stated that all students from grade one to six would be examined on Nov. 24–25. The parent warned: “Hospitals want to collect children’s blood samples under the name of health checks. I do not consent. Those who understand, understand. Protect your children.”
The exam list is extensive: internal medicine checks (heart, lungs, spleen, blood pressure, lung capacity), external physical assessments, posture measurements, ENT, ophthalmology, dental checks, and full blood panels. Students are told they do not need to fast, and costs are covered by the school.
Parents express fear: ‘There’s no free lunch’
Online comments from parents reflected deep mistrust:
““So the health-check campaign has reached Dongguan. I don’t know how deep the water is, but I know one thing – there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“Surprised? Shocked? Free physical exams, and cross-district! Since when do they serve our kids so well?”
“These things are terrifying. Kids go missing all the time — I’m scared.”
Many netizens questioned the purpose of mass blood collection:
“What is the goal of these tests? If kids ‘fail,’ do they lose school eligibility? Or is there another agenda?”
“Once your blood type matches someone’s needs, you’ll disappear in days.”
“They’re building a database — pick and match as required.”
Some commenters proposed drastic action:
“Don’t do it. Worst case, just stop sending them to school.”
Concerns rooted in organ-harvesting history
The backlash is intertwined with China’s widely reported history of forced organ harvesting. Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, countless practitioners have been forcibly subjected to blood typing, DNA collection, fingerprinting, and other biometric sampling.
Independent investigations have concluded that large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners were killed through forced organ harvesting, with extensive evidence presented internationally.
Meanwhile, China has seen alarming numbers of missing minors over the years, prompting many to suspect links to organ trafficking networks.
