A 20-year-old woman in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, identified by the pseudonym 'Xiao Wei' to protect her privacy, survived a fall from the 18th floor of an apartment building on 12 July after a long dispute with her boyfriend, with a tree and bushes slowing her fall.
Her family said she had decided to end the relationship and had bought a train ticket to return to Yunnan on 10 July, but the boyfriend refused to let her go.
The family alleges that on the night of 11 July the boyfriend blocked her from leaving, took her national identity card and mobile phone, and locked the apartment door from outside; they said she saw no way out and jumped from the balcony.
After the fall, the boyfriend took her to a nearby hospital and paid 20,000 yuan in initial treatment costs, the family said.
Doctors told the family she had serious injuries to her head, lungs, liver and spleen, and fractures to her pelvis, pubic bone and both legs; two operations had been completed, and a third planned for late July was postponed because of cost.
Her uncle, Li, said she was regretful about the impulsive decision and was fortunate because the landing area was only a few feet from a concrete floor.
Medical costs have exceeded 100,000 yuan, with about 60,000 yuan still owed to the hospital, while an online fundraising appeal has collected roughly 90,000 yuan; the family said her mother's cancer diagnosis in 2022 had used up their savings.
The family refused to let the boyfriend visit because they feared it would worsen her mental state, and they said police told him to leave the hospital after he tried to enter several times.