223 Days after the Fire | Sina “Witness”
Li Qizheng—Sina “Witness”
In June 2017, an arson case in Hangzhou grabbed the nation’s attention. A nanny, Mo Huanjing, deep in gambling debt, made a plan to set fire to her employer’s home and then extinguish it, hoping the family would reward her financially. Things didn’t go as planned: The fire killed the three children she cared for and their mother. The father, Lin Shengbin, was spared, as he was away on a business trip at the time. Most of the coverage of this incident has focused on Mo, who was sentenced to death a week before Lunar New Year, and on the issues of income inequality that this event brought to light. Photographer Li Qizheng happened to meet the family three years ago, and since the fire he has followed Lin as he struggles to deal with the tragedy.
Caption information
In June 2017, an arson case in Hangzhou grabbed the nation’s attention. A nanny, Mo Huanjing, deep in gambling debt, made a plan to set fire to her employer’s home and then extinguish it, hoping the family would reward her financially. Things didn’t go as planned: The fire killed the three children she cared for and their mother. The father, Lin Shengbin, was spared, as he was away on a business trip at the time. Most of the coverage of this incident has focused on Mo, who was sentenced to death a week before Lunar New Year, and on the issues of income inequality that this event brought to light. Photographer Li Qizheng happened to meet the family three years ago, and since the fire he has followed Lin as he struggles to deal with the tragedy.