Closer Look: The Truth About Shaoyang

One of the main principles we strive for at Caixin isn't just the truth, but the whole truth. A Buddhist teaching says, "The truth has no appearance," which refers to the fact that the truth isn't merely ascertained through our senses, but manifests itself through other modes. This means that getting the whole truth isn't easy.

Half a year ago, our cover story on Hunan's missing children was published, and spurred Zhou Qiang, the Hunan provincial party secretary, to personally launch an investigation. Our reporters spent years compiling evidence on the abduction of children by local family planning authorities. I believed the full story was so compelling that certain individuals would eventually face the justice system.