A man in Jiangxi Province, China, recently approached two female college students while sightseeing in Nanchang. After being rejected, he attacked them with scissors, resulting in one 19-year-old woman being stabbed more than ten times and dying, while the other female college student was injured and sent to the hospital. Nanchang police reported on the 12th that the suspect has a history of mental illness, which has sparked widespread public attention.
According to reports from Yangzi Evening News and others, the incident occurred at the Nanchang Bada Shanren Meihu Scenic Area. It has been reported that the deceased woman was a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University; she was wearing Hanfu and sightseeing with her friend at the time. A man in black riding an electric scooter tried to approach them but was rejected, then attacked the victims with scissors, stabbing them in vital areas such as the neck and abdomen. The victim's carotid artery was severed, and her companion was stabbed in the lung.
Because the deceased was wearing Hanfu at the time, there was online speculation that she was mistaken for wearing a kimono and attacked. However, the Nanchang police report on Tuesday did not mention details about the victim’s attire.
According to the police statement, a 23-year-old man surnamed Xi from Gao’an, Jiangxi, attacked two women surnamed Liu and Shi with scissors on the afternoon of the 10th, resulting in Liu’s death and Shi being injured and hospitalized without life-threatening conditions. The suspect has been criminally detained, and the case is still under investigation. The statement emphasized that the suspect has a history of mental illness.
On Tuesday, former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin wrote that even if the suspect has a history of mental illness, those who should be held accountable must be identified, and the incident should not be hastily dismissed just because the attacker is mentally ill. He argued that if Xi had criminal responsibility at the time, he must be severely punished by law; if he truly lacked criminal responsibility, he should be immediately confined to a psychiatric hospital. Furthermore, his guardians, the local community, and the scenic area should also bear corresponding responsibility.