3 weeks ago
Chinese Women Switched At Birth Discover They Lived 4km Apart
In a hospital in China, two baby girls were born just minutes apart in 1989.
Because of a mix-up, each baby went home with the other baby's family.
They grew up only four kilometres away from each other, but neither family knew.
One of the women, Huang Xiaolin, took a DNA test in 2022.
The test showed that the parents who raised her were not her biological parents.
With help from police, she found her real family and also found the other woman, Li Hui.
The two women finally met at a cafe, and they both said it felt nervous, exciting, and slightly awkward.
Li Hui was shocked to learn she had lived so close to her biological parents her whole life.
Both women chose to stay connected to the families that raised them, and the hospital could not find their old birth records.
Huang Xiaolin and Li Hui, born 55 minutes apart at Qingyuan People's Hospital in October 1989, discovered they were switched at birth 37 years ago.
The maternity ward used no identification wristbands at the time, relying instead on name cards placed inside each baby's swaddling.
A DNA test in 2022 revealed that Huang's parents were not biologically related to her, and with police assistance she traced her birth family in April 2025.
Li, who left secondary school to support her family and worked as a tour guide, hotel receptionist and salesperson, learned she had lived just four kilometres from her biological parents.
Both women chose to remain connected to the families who raised them, and the hospital said their birth records could not be located.
- Who
- Huang Xiaolin and Li Hui, two women switched at birth in October 1989.
- What
- They discovered they had been swapped at Qingyuan People's Hospital and grew up just four kilometres apart, after a DNA test and police-assisted family tracing.
- Where
- Qingyuan, Guangdong province, southern China.
- When
- Born October 1989; Huang took a DNA test in 2022 and traced her birth family in April 2025.
- Why
- The maternity ward did not use identification wristbands and relied on name cards placed inside each baby's swaddling, leading to the mix-up of the two newborns.
Key facts
- Women involved
- Huang Xiaolin and Li Hui
- Date of birth
- October 1989
- Hospital
- Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong province
- Distance between their homes
- Four kilometres
- Cause of switch
- No identification wristbands; only name cards inside swaddling
- DNA test
- Taken by Huang in 2022
- Li's health issues
- Blood disorder and thyroid surgery
- Birth records request
- Hospital said files could not be located; some staff retired or died
Quotes
Huang Xiaolin
Chinese woman who discovered she was swapped at birth
“"I was shocked to learn that my biological parents lived just four kilometres away from where I grew up."”
NDTV
“"I had no idea that my adoptive family was not my real family until the DNA test in 2022."”
NDTV
Sources
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