Shanxi Aurui Biomaterials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shanxi Aurui) is under suspicion of illegally purchasing corpses and limbs as raw materials for producing “allogeneic bone implant materials,” profiting 380 million RMB (approximately 52 million USD) over eight years. In addition to Shanxi Aurui, hospitals, medical schools, funeral homes, and crematoriums were also implicated, involving the theft and illegal sale of thousands of corpses.
During the investigation, the police seized more than 18 tons of human bone raw materials and semi-finished products, along with 34,077 finished products from the involved companies. All 75 individuals involved confessed to their crimes and have been transferred to the Taiyuan City Procuratorate for prosecution.
The case materials indicate that Shanxi Aurui, a subsidiary of the China Institute for Radiation Protection, was established in 1999 and specializes in the research, development, production, and sale of “allogeneic bone implant materials.”
From January 2015 to July 2023, the company illegally purchased corpses and limbs from Sichuan, Guangxi, Shandong, and other regions as raw materials. During the procurement and production process, they brutally dismembered the stolen bodies, removed flesh, cleaned, and irradiated them to produce “allogeneic bone implant materials.” According to an audit by the Taiyuan Special Office of the National Audit Office, their sales over the eight years totaled 380 million RMB (approximately 52 million USD).
To acquire a large quantity of raw materials, Shanxi Aurui instructed employees to transport human bones from places like Guilin, Guangxi, and Chengdu, Sichuan. The bodies were selected and processed at the Anatomy Teaching and Research Office of Guilin Medical University and Sichuan Hengpu Company before being transported back to the company for storage.
To conceal the source of these raw materials, Shanxi Aurui forged documents, including voluntary body donation registration forms and inspection reports, to prove the legality and safety of the corpses. Employees were instructed to forge signatures on the donation forms, pretending to be family members.
The case materials reveal that Sichuan Hengpu Company was a major supplier of human bone raw materials for Shanxi Aurui. Since 2012, the accused Su XX became a shareholder of Shanxi Aurui, responsible for supplying raw materials and selling “allogeneic bone” in 13 provinces and cities across the southwest, northeast, and northwest regions. In 2014, Su XX established Sichuan Hengpu Company, illegally acquiring corpses and bones for processing into “allogeneic bone” products, with some of the human bones sold to Shanxi Aurui.
From 2017 to 2019, to expand their sources of corpses and limbs, Su XX took control of four crematoriums by contracting, acquiring shares, or sending personnel, stealing and brutally dismembering bodies, then transporting them to Sichuan Hengpu Company. Su XX confessed that the four crematoriums provided over 4,000 human bones.
The case also involves laboratory technicians at the Anatomy Teaching and Research Office of Guilin Medical University. From 2019 to early 2023, the technician Lan XX and another suspect knowingly purchased stolen corpses from funeral homes in Guilin City, Ping Le County, and Yong Fu County for 900 RMB (approximately 123 USD) each.
From 2017 to 2023, the Anatomy Teaching and Research Office of Guilin Medical University purchased more than 450 corpses from the three mentioned funeral homes, about 300 of which were sold to Shanxi Aurui. On September 11, 2023, a special audit by the National Audit Office revealed that Lan XX resold 322 human bones to Shanxi Aurui for 10,000 RMB (approximately 1,370 USD) each.
The case materials show that the 75 people involved violated Article 302 of the Criminal Law, being charged with theft, desecration, and intentional destruction of corpses and bones. The case has been transferred to the Taiyuan City Procuratorate for prosecution.
According to The Paper, a responsible person at the Taiyuan City Procuratorate stated that the case is widespread, and the investigation is ongoing, with no further details available at this time.