Opinion | Son-in-law defends China's 'orphan saviour' over property ownership

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Published: 11:50am, 6 Feb 2013Updated: 12:55pm, 6 Feb 2013

The son-in-law of China’s controversial “orphan saviour”, Yuan Lihai, denied allegations on Tuesday made by a recent magazine report that said Yuan owned at least 20 properties.

“I am willing to disclose our assets,” he said. “I am willing to disclose the colour of my underpants if that’s what it takes.”

Guo Haiyang, the son-in-law, said he had found a lawyer and planned to sue the magazine for libel.

Guo, who said all the Yuan family wanted was to return to a peaceful life, published a 2,000-word statement on China’s Twitter-like service Sina Weibo on Tuesday, firing back at the magazine allegations that had raised eyebrows and shaken Yuan’s supporters across the country.

Yuan became the focus of media attention after her unlicensed orphanage in Lankao, Henan province, caught fire in January and seven children died. Some hailed her as a hero amid what they called inadequate support services for children in China. Yuan later pledged to stop adopting abandoned children after being accused by critics that she had taken in children to turn a profit.

"China's orphan saviour devastated by deadly fire", Video by Wu Nan

The report published by a Beijing-based, less-known ViP Weekly magazine this week contended that contrary to what Yuan had said about her economic hardships, she was a powerful and wealthy businesswoman who owned at least 20 properties in Lankao.

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