‘Decades of heartbreak’: Chinese women switched at birth 37 years ago live 4km apart

Two women, Huang Xiaolin and Li Hui, were switched at birth 37 years ago in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, China. Born only 55 minutes apart at Qingyuan People’s Hospital, they were both mistakenly given identical hospital uniforms and were cared for in a nursery. Identification wristbands were not routinely used, relying on name cards within swaddling.

The cause of the error is unknown. Huang was raised by adoptive parents working for the government, while Li was raised in a family that operated a small grocery store. Huang later discovered through a DNA test that neither of her assumed parents were biologically hers, and traced her birth family with police assistance. Li, meanwhile, had to leave secondary school to support her family after her adoptive father lost savings in a scam, eventually developing a blood disorder.

The women met in a café and were astonished to learn they were only 4km apart. Li's adoptive mother still relies on her support, while Huang's adoptive mother has no pension. Both women desire to maintain connections with their adoptive families, and have requested their birth records from the hospital, but were informed they could not locate them.

They are now seeking compensation totaling 2.6 million yuan from the hospital, set to be heard on August 13. One online commentator lamented the devastative impact of the switch, stating that both families might have been spared "decades of heartbreak" if not for the hospital error.