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Caijing Magazine: Looking into Von Hagens’ Body Plastination Factories

Caijing, the finance magazine based in Beijing, published an article titled. “Looking Into Von Hagens’ Body Plastination Factories.” The article queried, "As more and more micro-blogs condemn the ‘corpse factory’ built in Dalian, China, many people wonder why Von Hagens, the individual who is condemned around the world, can legally and comfortably build a body plastination factory in China." The article gave a brief background of the body plastination research center built in 1997 through collaboration between Hagens and the Dalian Medical University. It has been estimated that Hagens made US$9 billion in net profit from the body exhibit tours around the world.

The article questioned the source of the bodies. "Where did the body specimens come from and who would have authorized the donation? China has an extremely low body donation rate which has resulted in a severe shortage among medical schools. China is also a nation that believes that the dead will not receive peace until they are buried. How can such contributions be made when they are against tradition? How did this factory receive an achievement award from the Dalian municipal government? Is it possible that a horrifying economic chain is behind the body exhibit?"

According to the article, specimen plastination factories have been established in a number of cities, including Guangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Taian, and Dalian.

Source: Caijing, August 16, 2012
http://finance.cjzg.cn/yiyao/1345100957998233_4.html