Gong Xiaoming: A Gynecologist's Journey into Internet Healthcare Entrepreneurship

When Dr. Gong Xiaoming is mentioned, people’s first impression is often that of an obstetrician-gynecologist. He is the first independently practicing obstetrician-gynecologist in China, holds a Doctor of Medicine degree, and serves as an associate professor, among other credentials. What we will discuss today, however, is his role as an entrepreneur in the field of internet healthcare—founder of China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network and the pregnancy management app “Fengxinzi.”

Unlike most people born in the early 1970s, Gong Xiaoming demonstrates exceptional proficiency in leveraging the internet. In late 2012, he posted a Weibo message debunking the myth that “cervical erosion is a disease,” which was reposted more than 30,000 times. In 2013, he was named one of the Ten Most Influential Doctors on Sina Weibo. With over 730,000 followers to date, he has become a verifiable “key opinion leader” (KOL) among physicians on the platform. As WeChat gained popularity, Dr. Gong was the first physician to establish an official WeChat public account, using it to disseminate educational content on obstetrics and gynecology to his followers. Beyond these public social media platforms, the China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network and “Fengxinzi” represent another significant foothold for Dr. Gong in the digital wave.

Entrepreneurship: Unintentional Success

China OB/GYN Network is an online communication and education platform for obstetrics and gynecology, founded by Gong Xiaoming in 2000. At its inception, Gong named the website "Home of Obstetricians and Gynecologists."

Currently, the China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network has 510,000 registered members, with a daily visit volume of 11,000 professionals. The website features over 20,000 obstetrics and gynecology literature (articles), more than 8,000 conference and surgical videos in obstetrics and gynecology, and over 3,300 lecture courseware, establishing itself as the portal site for the obstetrics and gynecology industry.

The initial creation of such an online platform for obstetricians and gynecologists to communicate stemmed solely from Gong Xiaoming’s personal interest.

“I clearly remember that the website was officially launched on January 1, 2000. I graduated from Peking Union Medical College in 1998, and 2000 marked my third year as a resident physician at the hospital,” Gong Xiaoming told VCBeat. At that time, many people were keenly interested in clinical case data from Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Leveraging his professional access, Gong began sharing industry information and medical knowledge with users on the website. “In the beginning, I taught myself how to use FrontPage (a beginner-level web design software developed by Microsoft) and gradually built the site through trial and error.” Fortunately, he had registered the domain name www.china-obgyn.net early on. However, it was not until 2003, when Gong purchased an external content management system (CMS), that the website truly took shape.

“At that time, I worked on the website whenever I had time; otherwise, it remained inactive. The positive aspect was that the site consistently attracted attention from physicians in the industry, with its traffic steadily increasing and its influence within the sector gradually expanding,” Gong Xiaoming told VCBeat.

In March 2006, Gong Xiaoming attempted to commercialize the website, officially naming it "China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network," and registered Beijing Yaptuo Information Consulting Service Co., Ltd. At that time, the primary purpose of registering the company was to facilitate collaborations with other companies; the company still had no employees or office space. Although the website generated some advertising revenue, Gong Xiaoming did not prioritize profitability nor seek rapid expansion for the site. "The idea back then was simply to keep the website operational and fulfill its role in assisting physicians with their learning."

In 2006, while studying abroad, Gong Xiaoming learned a new technique for treating postpartum hemorrhage, known as the B-Lynch suture method. Eager to share this timely advancement with more obstetricians and gynecologists, he commissioned someone to create an animation of the procedure and posted it on the forum of China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network. Shortly thereafter, a doctor posted on the forum, “I was extremely happy last night because I saved a uterus. I saved a uterus using the surgical tutorial from the website.”

Gong Xiaoming said, “When I read that passage, I felt the value of our platform. Through internet-based tools, physicians’ technical skills have improved. We aim to make these free tools accessible to every doctor. Moreover, patients also benefit from this, making it a meaningful endeavor.”

Regarding the value of the Chinese Obstetrics and Gynecology Network platform, beyond helping physicians enhance their technical skills to benefit patients, its greater significance lies in addressing the inequities in Chinese medical education through the internet.

There was once a blog administrator on China Obstetrics and Gynecology Online, who was a physician from Panzhihua City. On one occasion, this doctor said to Gong Xiaoming, “Panzhihua is a small place, and I never had the opportunity to go out and learn new techniques. When I discovered China Obstetrics and Gynecology Online, it felt as if a window to the world had opened for me. Suddenly, I gained access to a wealth of information that I had never been exposed to before.”

Gong Xiaoming told VCBeat, “Doctors in China’s small and medium-sized cities are in a plight, as they lack access to an equitable education platform. One thing that the Chinese Obstetrics and Gynecology Network has accomplished over the years is making medical education in China much more equitable. In the past, only department directors had the opportunity to pursue further studies or attend academic conferences. Now, if a director fails to keep learning, their skills will quickly be surpassed by other doctors who can leverage online resources for study.”

It was not until 2008 that China OB/GYN Network hired its first employee other than Gong Xiaoming. By the end of 2009, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China OB/GYN, China OB/GYN Network finally secured its first formal office space.

Gradually, China OB-GYN Network has become one of Gong Xiaoming’s professional endeavors. “I never set out to start a business for the sake of entrepreneurship itself. However, my current venture has taken shape somewhat unintentionally—like planting a willow branch without expectation, only to see it grow into a shady tree. As China OB-GYN Network naturally expanded and strengthened, I felt it was time to take further action. We are now leveraging the credibility of China OB-GYN Network to endorse Hyacinth Care. Many people are willing to support the Hyacinth Care initiative and have confidence in its mission.”

In February 2015, Gong Xiaoming left the public hospital system to become the first obstetrician-gynecologist in China to practice independently. In March of the same year, he embarked on an entrepreneurial venture in Beijing, founding the pregnancy management product of the mobile health app “Hyacinth.” His aim was to leverage mobile internet tools to build a communication and service platform connecting pregnant women with physicians.

From 2D to 2C: Empowering Physicians to Set Prices for Their Services

“Hyacinth” is a mobile app under China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network, serving as a mobile health platform for maternal and infant health management and medical consultation. It was officially launched last July. In 2014, Gong Xiaoming’s company secured angel investment from Trustbridge Partners and formally began developing consumer-facing (2C) products. “What China Obstetrics and Gynecology Network does is doctor-focused (2D), whereas Hyacinth targets consumers (2C),” said Gong Xiaoming. He explained that the significance of this consumer-oriented approach lies in directly connecting doctors with patients, much like how Didi Chuxing revolutionized ride-hailing.

In the absence of ride-hailing services like Didi, taxi fares were government-regulated, leaving drivers with no discretion to set prices freely. This led to widespread difficulties in hailing taxis during special circumstances such as rainy days. The most reasonable pricing mechanism should be determined by market forces, achieving a balance that satisfies both demand and supply.

“To truly liberate doctors’ labor and productivity, we must break away from the current price service system. For instance, in hospitals, state regulations set the consultation fee at 10 yuan per patient, yet the value of the services provided by doctors may far exceed this amount. The government has recognized this issue and now permits physicians to practice at multiple institutions or engage in independent private practice. However, in reality, relatively few doctors have actually embraced multi-site or independent practice. They often question whether their capabilities are sufficient for independent practice and weigh the loss of certain advantages associated with positions within the public healthcare system,” said Gong Xiaoming. He noted that liberating doctors’ labor is significantly more challenging than freeing up the workforce of ride-hailing drivers. The first step toward liberating doctors’ labor is to marketize their services and allow them to set their own prices. “If doctors set their own prices, these will necessarily reflect rates they are willing to accept. Meanwhile, patients’ willingness to pay demonstrates that they, too, find the pricing acceptable.”

“At first, I only wanted to focus purely on my duties as a physician, leaving internet-related matters to the internet team while I merely oversaw the general direction. Later, I realized that approach wouldn’t work; now I am fully committed,” Gong Xiaoming told VCBeat. The previous versions of the product developed by his team did not meet Gong’s expectations. “The team believed that the payment feature was unimportant, whereas I personally considered it crucial. Relying solely on corporate subsidies for physicians is not a sustainable strategy. We need to establish a logical order that motivates capable physicians to engage in this work. The foundation for all this is market-based services. Neither app platforms nor the government can accurately price the value of physicians’ services; the best approach is to let the market decide.” In early September, “Fengxinzi” was updated to version 3.0, completing its transition from free to paid services.

Gong Xiaoming believes that users in the perinatal period are also willing to pay for doctors' services.

Data released at the Symposium on Analysis and Prospects of China’s Demographic Situation showed that the number of births in China reached 16.87 million in 2014, an increase of 470,000 from 2013. The number of births in 2015 is projected to rise by approximately 1 million compared with 2014. Evidently, influenced by the policy allowing couples where one spouse is an only child to have two children, there is substantial market potential for internet-based maternal and infant healthcare products.

Currently, the primary pain point for pregnant and postpartum women is that they fail to receive the services they deserve when visiting hospitals. In Gong Xiaoming’s view, “pregnant and postpartum women are not actually patients, nor do they regard pregnancy as an illness. They should be able to enjoy a service experience at hospitals, much like dining at a restaurant. However, the current medical environment leaves most pregnant and postpartum women dissatisfied; they endure long queues only to receive very brief consultations.” Unresolved issues often lead these women to seek help through internet tools, such as searching on Baidu or joining forums for expectant mothers. Gong Xiaoming’s previous survey found that each pregnant or postpartum woman generates approximately one question per week. Under normal circumstances, however, the interval between hospital visits is one month. As a result, they have many questions but lack accessible channels for answers.

Gong Xiaoming told VCBeat, “Our promotional strategy starts with physicians. If a physician conducts prenatal check-ups for an expectant mother, they can recommend our software to her. This approach leverages the patient’s trust in her doctor, and physicians are also more inclined to assist their patients in this way.”

Furthermore, as most expectant mothers are young women, they exhibit high acceptance of mobile products, resulting in low user education costs. Moreover, given the high priority modern families place on children, most households are willing to pay for such maternity care services.

Regarding the reason for naming the product “Hyacinth,” Gong Xiaoming stated that the language of flowers for the blue hyacinth is “life.” Naming the product “Hyacinth” also symbolizes the concept of nurturing and propagating life.