Debt-ridden children's hospital gains strong public support, but future still uncertain

Hundreds of thousands of supportive viewers flooded actor Li Yapeng's Douyin livestream on Friday, snapping up tea products in a charity-driven surge to help save the children's hospital he cofounded from closure.

The outpouring of public support followed widespread attention to the financial plight of Beijing SmileAngel Children's Hospital, which provides free and subsidized cleft lip and palate surgeries. The hospital faces accumulated debts exceeding 26 million yuan ($3.5 million) in unpaid rent and fees and risks being shut down.

After Li addressed the hospital's situation online earlier this month, donations to the Smile Angel Foundation — a fund he established under the Chinese Red Cross Foundation to finance surgeries — quickly surpassed 23 million yuan from hundreds of thousands of contributors. The donation channel was closed after the fundraising target was met ahead of schedule.

However, experts clarified that the donations are directed to a fundraising body that is a separate legal entity from the hospital, meaning that they can only be used to cover medical bills and cannot legally be applied toward the hospital's rent.

Capitalizing on the momentum, Li launched a dedicated Yunnan Pu'er tea livestream on his Douyin account at 7 pm on Friday. The event drew tens of thousands of viewers, with multiple products selling out almost instantly.

According to platform data, Li's livestream topped the Douyin sales chart with 16.84 million yuan ($2.42 million) in revenue — nearly four times that of the second-ranked broadcaster.

During the broadcast, Li urged rational consumption. "I know why everyone is here," he said, indirectly alluding to the hospital's situation. "Only buy if you drink tea — using this tea to boil tea eggs would be too luxurious," he remarked, responding to viewers who suggested buying the tea to make the traditional Chinese snack.

Due to overwhelming orders, Li's partner in the sale — a Pu'er Tea factory in Yunnan province — announced on Saturday a temporary suspension of upcoming livestreams to focus on processing the backlog.

"The order volume far exceeded expectations," the company said in a statement. "To ensure timely and accurate delivery and avoid backlog, we are pausing livestreams to concentrate all resources on order fulfillment."

While the tea sale demonstrates strong public backing for Li and his charitable mission, the future of the hospital remains uncertain.

In a statement dated Jan 21, the hospital said negotiations with its landlord are ongoing, with no final decision yet on relocation or lease renewal.