He Speaks for the Voiceless: Advocating for China’s Millions of Deaf and Mute People

This book consists of 10 chapters and 10 protagonists， highlighting their inner kindness， courage， and perseverance， to reach out to all corners of society. Among them， some rescue stray animals， some contribute to the cause of organ donation， some open a never-closing bookshop to leave a light for readers， and some speak for the deaf and mute， shout for barrier-free travel， and find hope for a group of seriously ill children.

Ye Xiaoguo

After graduating from university， Ye Xiaoguo went to Tianjin to teach， and then moved south to Guangzhou， where he worked as an editor and reporter at Nanfang Press Media Group， and started writing non-fiction in 2017.

Interview Date： April 1， 2021

Location： Chongqing

Interviewee： Sign Language Lawyer Tang Shuai

Tang Shuai says： “I’m willing to be the ears for the deaf， the voice for the mute， but I don’t want to be the ‘only one.’ I hope that， as rule of law progresses， we’ll see more and more deaf and mute people actively participating in society.”

In 2018， a nationwide Ponzi scheme case involving illegal， massive financial fraud came to light. In almost every region of China， deaf and mute people were scammed. However， in the Dadukou District of Chongqing， not a single deaf or mute person fell victim to the scheme， and this is where I conducted most of my legal education outreach.

That case， among all I have handled， wasn’t particularly unusual， except for the largest amount of money involved. Yet， moving the case forward and prosecuting those responsible was immensely challenging.

One early morning in January 2018， while working late into the night， my phone was overwhelmed in just four hours， from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.， as two of my WeChat accounts were flooded with messages. Hundreds of strangers nationwide added me， followed by an influx of invites into various WeChat groups. The list of friend requests seemed endless. I was in shock， feeling dazed.

When I inquired within these groups， I discovered they were all victims of a Ponzi scheme targeting the deaf and mute community across the country. Many had sold their homes or mortgaged them to raise funds， and some even used cash advances from credit cards for this so-called “investment.”

Perhaps hearing that I was the only lawyer in China who could communicate through sign language gave them a sense of hope， which led to so many deaf people adding me on WeChat. I hadn’t expected such a level of trust based solely on brief WeChat exchanges. Though stunned， I realized the severity of the issue and immediately began communicating with some of the deaf victims through sign language video calls to understand the details of the case. The more I learned， the more alarming it became.

This was a targeted scam against the deaf and mute community. The prime suspect was Bao Jianxin， born in 1972 in Yueqing， Wenzhou， Zhejiang Province. In deaf communities， almost everyone knew of Bao， the founder of the “Silent Lighting” brand. He was named one of the “Top Ten Disabled Entrepreneurs of Hunan” and held numerous titles， with a web of complex connections. Bao frequently said， “We may not bring sound to the world， but we can bring light，” and “God silenced me to encourage me to act more and speak less.”

Bao was clever. He knew sign language and could communicate seamlessly with the deaf， often saying things that resonated deeply with them. Deaf people generally have limited education and weak awareness of fraud， making them easy targets.

Bao exploited this vulnerability， cloaking his scheme as an initiative to “help the deaf escape poverty.” He used slogans like “Follow Bao to Financial Success” and “A golden opportunity for deaf entrepreneurs is just around the corner，” to illegally raise vast amounts of money.

I found one of Bao Jianxin’s seminars online. How did he deceive people？ He would instill ideas in the deaf and mute， saying things like， “This is the era of ‘internet plus，’ and we deaf people can also start our own businesses，” and “Anyone can be their own boss， making money hand over fist.”

Each of his events was meticulously organized， often with a crowd of reporters covering it to make it look lively and legitimate. He even had his own physical business， which made him appear highly credible.

His so-called money-making scheme for the deaf and mute worked like this： “You invest with me， say， 5，000 yuan， and I’ll give you a 2，000-yuan return every month， absolutely high returns.”

Anyone with basic legal knowledge would recognize this as a scam. However， the deaf and mute community’s understanding of the law was limited， and they wholeheartedly trusted this man who spoke their language， called them “countrymen，” and insisted he would help them become prosperous. Seeing photos he posted on social media of cash stacked in a pyramid， they were thoroughly enticed and immediately sent him money to buy into these non-existent financial products.

We can imagine how hard it is for deaf and mute people to make money. Most of them can only work in the lowest-paying jobs， and the meager wages they recieve are hard-earned， truly through blood， sweat， and tears.

After receiving their money， Bao lived a life of luxury： fine dining， luxury cars， a grand mansion， and even two mistresses.

Why was he so bold？ Because he banked on the fact that the deaf and mute wouldn’t speak up， faced communication barriers with law enforcement， and had no way to protect their rights. It was a case of “a mute person swallowing bitter herbs，” unable to express their suffering.

Some victims realized they had been deceived and went to police departments across the country to report the crime. However， communication barriers with law enforcement made filing a report extremely difficult. Some victims went to the police with their families， but over a year passed with no progress on their cases， leaving them feeling helpless.

Some of the victims， losing hope， even took their own lives. Others， left destitute by the scheme， had invested borrowed money and now faced enormous debts.

After being defrauded， some were left homeless， with ten or more people crammed into a rundown low-rent apartment， a heartbreaking sight.

Unable to hear， unable to speak， unfamiliar with the law， and lacking awareness of their rights， they were left to do menial labor to try to pay back the borrowed funds they had lost in their investments. Finally， one of the victims in Chongqing found out about me， the only sign language lawyer in the country， who had long been fighting for the rights of the deaf and mute. Word spread quickly， and soon everyone was reaching out to me.

On WeChat， they messaged me： “Lawyer Tang， all my savings were taken，” “Lawyer Tang， please help me.”

“According to the Anti-Pyramid Selling Ordinance， Bao Jianxin’s operation model clearly qualifies as an illegal pyramid scheme，” I firmly explained to the deaf friends in the WeChat group who had been deceived.

This was a criminal case， so it was essential to report it to the authorities. I stayed up all night gathering information from the victims. The next day， with a heavy heart， I went to report the case to the relevant departments. When my car stopped near the government building， I stayed inside for a while， smoking several cigarettes， before finally stepping out.

One official， after hearing my report， cautioned me， “Xiao Tang， this is not an easy case to take on.” I visited several departments， all giving me the same advice.

My emotions were a mix of conflicting feelings. On one hand， this case involved massive amounts of money and posed a significant societal threat. On the other hand， its reach was extensive， and one misstep could lead to unimaginable consequences.

I felt torn， hesitating， even considering abandoning the case. But I couldn’t bear to let it go， so I tried to calm myself. I ‘disappeared’ from WeChat for a week， my head throbbing for days as I repeatedly reflected on the purpose of being a lawyer， to “speak for those who have no voice.”

During that week， the deaf-mute victims in the WeChat group noticed my absence. Some began losing hope， while others resolved to organize and defend their rights on their own. One of them sent me a message： “Lawyer Tang， 300 deaf and mute representatives from different provinces and cities have come to Chongqing. Tomorrow， we’ll be requesting that the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission assigns you to assist us.”

Reading that message left me stunned， completely floored. I immediately reported the situation to the authorities for support， and the Municipal Public Security Bureau agreed to cooperate， which reassured me.

Around 300 deaf and mute individuals gathered in the complex where our law firm was located， a truly impressive sight. Having decided to take the case， I told them， “Dear deaf friends， I will defend your rights. Trust me.” I also sent this message to the WeChat group.

Initially， my hesitation stemmed from the fear of tangled connections surrounding the case， but that was just on the surface. When I ultimately agreed without a second thought， I felt as though I was the beacon of hope for tens of thousands of deaf and mute people. I couldn’t let that hope vanish.

Starting at the end of January 2018， I， along with five deaf and mute assistants from my firm， set aside almost all other work to focus entirely on this case. First， I arranged accommodations for those who had come to Chongqing， secured physical evidence， and promised them my commitment. Then， I traveled around the country to collect more evidence. And I made it clear that I would not charge a single penny for this case.

As the investigation progressed， I discovered Bao Jianxin was very cunning， with a strong awareness of counter-investigation tactics. He had erased much of the valuable evidence and had considerable influence behind him， possibly with connections to the criminal underworld.

I even began receiving death threats， offers to “buy my head，” “buy my life.” I joked about it， saying these people were absurd， spending so much money on someone who weighs just over a hundred pounds. If they calculated it by weight， I’d be quite pricey per pound.

One night， I was working late in the office until around 2 a.m. when the landline suddenly rang. It was the night guard calling from downstairs. He said there were a few men in police uniforms near the elevator， communicating in signs and looking suspicious. He told me to be careful. I hung up， moved two couches to block the glass door of the firm， and called the police. A few minutes later， the police arrived， and those men in uniforms fled.

Despite these threats， my resolve only grew stronger. In movies， I’d seen good people held at gunpoint， kidnapped， and threatened by criminals， and it all felt so distant. Experiencing such threats firsthand made me realize that television and movie plots weren’t that far-fetched after all.