Four American educators from a small university in Iowa were injured in a stabbing attack at a public park in Jilin province, northeast China, on Monday, as reported by US media and officials.
Iowa Representative Adam Zabner confirmed that his brother, David Zabner, was one of the victims from Cornell College in Iowa. “My brother, David Zabner, was wounded in the arm during a stabbing attack while visiting a temple in Jilin City, China,” he said. “I spoke to David…he is recovering from his injuries and doing well. My family is incredibly grateful that David survived this attack.”
The group had been visiting a temple in Beishan Park when they were attacked by a man with a knife, according to Zabner. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
A video showing individuals lying on the ground in the park, covered in blood, circulated on X on Monday, but no traces of the images could be found on Chinese social media platforms.
A US State Department spokesperson stated in an email that they were aware of reports regarding a “stabbing incident” in Jilin, China, and were monitoring the situation.
Chinese authorities have not issued any statements or reports on the incident, and posts on the Chinese social media platform Weibo questioning the censorship of the incident were few and far between.
The educators from Cornell College were part of a teaching exchange program with Beihua University in Jilin City.
“We are working through proper channels and requesting to speak with the US Embassy on appropriate matters to ensure that the victims first receive quality care for their injuries and then get out of China in a medically feasible manner,” wrote Iowa’s Congress representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks on X.
Despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge this year to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for study programs to enhance people-to-people ties, a US State Department Level 3 travel advisory to China warning of possible arbitrary detention and exit bans remains in effect.
Currently, there are fewer than 900 American exchange students studying in China compared to over 290,000 Chinese students in the United States, according to US data.
