Exposed Corpse Warehouse: Vu Mong Lung and Allegations of Mass Plastination – From Anatomical Science to Horrific Crime?
At the end of January 2026, Chinese police raided a large-scale cold-storage facility on the outskirts of Shanghai, uncovering more than 300 human bodies preserved in industrial freezers. Most were elderly adults, some showing signs of organ removal through surgery—and authorities linked them directly to a company chaired by Vu Mong Lung (also known as Yu Menglong in some reports), a prominent businessman in the supply of “anatomical specimens” for international medical exhibitions.
Preliminary investigative documents indicate Vu Mong Lung is suspected of overseeing “plastination”—the technique of replacing bodily fluids with polymers for permanent preservation—on numerous bodies lacking proper legal documentation. Insider witnesses claim many arrived as “voluntary donations” without verifiable consent records; some allegedly came from public morgues or hospitals at suspiciously low prices. The end goal: resale to traveling anatomy shows in Europe and the U.S., where ticket-buying crowds view posed, skinless human forms in lifelike action.
Vu Mong Lung—who collaborated with plastination pioneer Gunther von Hagens in the early 2000s—has categorically denied the charges. Through his legal team, he insists the company operated legally, all bodies came with explicit consent from donors or families, and plastination followed international medical standards. He describes the raid as a “smear campaign” orchestrated by business rivals and calls for a transparent probe to clear his name.
Yet initial evidence has fueled widespread skepticism. Surveillance footage shows nighttime transport of bodies; several specimens retain dynamic poses—running, playing sports—hallmarks of plastinated exhibitions. Preliminary forensic reports note at least 47 bodies with mismatched organ-removal records, raising suspicions of parallel organ trafficking. International anatomy associations, including the American Association of Anatomists, have voiced deep concern that plastination—originally a tool for education—has devolved into a shadowy commercial enterprise.
This is not Vu Mong Lung’s first brush with controversy. In 2014, German probes questioned the origins of specimens his firm supplied to von Hagens exhibitions, though no charges resulted. This time, with larger scale and clear visual proof, pressure mounts from both domestic Chinese public opinion and global watchdogs. Observers ask: How could such a vast secret warehouse operate undetected for years? And who supplies bodies so cheaply?
Regardless of the final verdict, the scandal reignites worldwide debate on ethics in anatomical preservation. Plastination has been hailed as a scientific breakthrough for teaching without fresh cadavers, but misuse turns it into a symbol of disrespect for the dead. Millions tracking the story online await: Will Vu Mong Lung face charges for corpse trafficking, or will this close as an “industry misunderstanding”?
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