Ms. Pei Xiuyan, 37, female, was from Dashizhuzi Township, Kuancheng County, Hebei Province. On December 23, 2000, she went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was arrested. Later, police from the Kuancheng County Police Department brought her back and put her in the Kuancheng County Detention Center. It was winter and very cold. She suffered a lot while in detention. Because of the tremendous physical and mental abuse, she developed edema all over her body. Her feet were so swollen that she couldn't even put on her shoes. She also had great difficulty walking. She asked to be released and got treatment many times, but no one responded to her[0].

On January 21, 2001, her cellmates saw that she was on the verge of death and called the guards for help. Only then did Captain Yang Shunqing and prison doctor Lu Yushu come to her cell to see her.  She was sent to the hospital shortly after 10:00 a.m. After being examined, she was returned to the detention center. Several hours later her cellmates again called for help, since her condition was still bad. When the guards came in, they saw she was dying. In order to shirk their responsibility, they sent her to the hospital again around 2:00 p.m. At 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2001, Ms. Pei Xiuyan passed away.

Gao Xuelong, director of Kuancheng County Police Department, and Gao Rongyu, captain of the national security brigade are also responsible for Pei Xiuyan's death.