“Whether I feel I have gotten justice and whether I have forgiven him are two separate things”: Beach Road slashing victim reflects on her attacker’s sentencing

In the days after her estranged husband savagely attacked her with a chopper in public, Han Hongli seethed with anger and bitterness.

His shocking attack, which was covered by multiple local news outlets and became viral on social media, left her with more than 40 slash wounds to her body, a blinded left eye and permanent disfigurement and impairment to her face and arms.

Cheng Guoyuan repeatedly slashed Hongli’s head with a cleaver and did not stop even after the blade broke off from the handle. He found a new cleaver and pursued her when she got away, even though she was already seriously injured and would not have been able to defend herself.  

If not for the intervention of passers-by, who hurled plastic chairs and dustbins at the attacker and fended him off with a ladder, the assault would have likely cost the Chinese national, now 45, her life.

“I truly hated him. I even felt the hate in my bones. I wanted to take revenge and hurt him like he hurt me,” she had said to Salt&Light some eight months after the incident along Beach Road in 2022.

Yet having encountered God after the brutal attack – she saw angels above her during an operation and experienced His provision in various ways ­– Hongli began praying for her estranged husband’s salvation, though she was not yet ready to forgive him.

A year later, however, she set her mind to fully forgive him, relying on God’s strength. When she did so, she experienced a newfound freedom.

“I could sleep better at night. I was no longer afraid; I used to have nightmares,” she said.

Working long hours as a cleaner after her recovery also took her mind off from the incident.

“I did not bear any thought of vengeance or wish he would get the most severe punishment,” Hongli told Salt&Light in Mandarin recently, in her first interview to the media after Cheng’s sentencing.

When news of his sentencing came out 

In June this year, Cheng was sentenced to 19 years in jail and eight strokes of the cane, after previously pleading guilty to a single charge of attempted murder. This carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment with caning.

In November last month, however, it was reported that he has been found to be medically unfit for caning and that no extra jail time would be given.

When Hongli learnt of the news of his sentencing, all that happened to her at the Beach Road scene came flooding back.

“The memories of how he had relentlessly hacked me with the chopper, and how he did not stop when I begged him to, even when I pleaded with him to keep me alive for the sake of our children were brought back again. They kept playing back in my mind like a movie and I could not sleep,” said Hongli, who did not leave her room for one week after the news came out.

She felt devastated, as her mind was not only filled with the scenes of the past, but also thoughts of the harm he had done to her daughter and the circumstances that they are now in due to his actions.

Hongli has a daughter from a previous marriage and a son with Cheng. The minimart in Henan, China that she was running with Cheng had not been making nearly enough to see her children through school.

So she came to Singapore to work in 2016 and did well enough to be promoted to a managerial position in a steamboat restaurant, enabling her to remit money home to support her family.

Years later, Hongli discovered that Cheng had hurt her daughter. Cheng later came to Singapore periodically for work and to track Hongli down to get her assurance that she would not reveal his wrongdoing to anyone.

Eventually, Cheng came up with a plan to kill his wife if she refused to confirm that she would not expose him.

Hongli became a victim of one of the most horrific slashing cases in Singapore, and the permanent disabilities arising from the incident meant that she could no longer take on most types of jobs, including her former role in the food and beverage industry.

“My emotions were all very raw, and my heart ached. I felt sorry for him and pitied him for doing done this thing that caused harm and loss to everyone. All this time, I had not stopped praying for him that he will come to know God and repent during his time in prison,” Hongli told Salt&Light.

“But I also felt the hatred again, and it was unsettling because I felt very conflicted. I felt the sentence was unfair and that he should get his rightful punishment. So I also felt guilty of thinking that way, that as a Christian I should not be wishing him that. Does that mean I have not truly forgiven him? Why was I still so affected?” she wondered.

Fear of harm to her family upon his release 

A few days after his father was sentenced, Hongli’s 20-year-old son finally opened the many emails his father had sent him while in remand. He showed some of those emails to his mother.

“They were full of hate and slander, blaming me for all that had happened. The false accusations, name-calling, and outright lies were horrid and shocking. He demanded my son report to him every move I and my daughter make,” said Hongli.

Hongli finally reuniting with her son in Singapore in 2024, two years after the incident. She had not seen him for eight years.

During that time, she also consulted criminal lawyer Josephus Tan on Cheng’s sentence. According to Mr Tan, he could be a free man after 10 years, after taking into account one-third remission for good behaviour and backdating of the remand period before the case was concluded in court.

“I was shocked and feared that he may seek to harm me, my children and the rest of the family after his release, as he had threatened to do so before the attack. Even if the sentence is just one year, as long as he repents, it is okay. But from the emails I saw, there was just hate and no remorse,” said Hongli.

Hongli spending quality time with her daughter in Sentosa in 2024.

As she struggled to process the news of the sentencing, Hongli made several calls to the police, but to no avail as the outcome had already been decided.

“Being a follower of Christ, I should be able to lay everything down and trust in God. Since I have decided to forgive him, perhaps I should not be thinking that he should be locked up longer? Does it mean that I have failed in forgiving? I felt guilty for feeling all this,” said Hongli.

“What do I do?” she cried out to God in the room that she had holed herself in.

She heard His reply: “Move forward and don’t let resentment take root.”

After spending the next few days in prayer, she surrendered the outcome of the sentencing and all that she felt to God.

“I left it in God’s hands. I knew it is not up to me, but up to the Courts. I had forgiven him and chose to move forward,” said Hongli.

She finally emerged from her room to meet with a counsellor. The counselling session was helpful as the counsellor held space for her by validating all the emotions that she had been feeling.

The day she came out of her room was also the day she received the good news that she had been waiting for months for: She was offered a cleaning job that she had applied for.

“In my journey, I have learnt that the extent to which I am willing to forgive is directly related to the grace I receive from God. In forgiving, we learn to be more like Christ, who forgave my sins many times over on the Cross,” said Hongli, who visits different churches with her friends whenever her work schedule allows.

What it means to forgive, and what forgiveness does not entail

In the past months in her new job, God continued to teach her about forgiveness.

At her workplace, she had to put up with a colleague who bullied her.

“When it was just five or 10 minutes to the time I knock off, the colleague would chase me to finish different tasks when it was not possible to. There were also times when the colleague locked up the cleaning supplies so unlike everyone else, I could not have access to them,” said Hongli.

Initially, she tolerated his actions, not wanting to raise a complaint that could cause disunity and affect how others viewed that colleague.

“I thought that forgiving others as a Christian requires me to just extend grace upon grace and not react when someone is harassing or oppressing you. I had read about ‘extending the other cheek’ in Matthew 5:39 and could not really understand it because it seems silly,” said Hongli.

Day after day, the colleague picked on her and continued to make things difficult for her.

“It came to the point when I realised that I was starting to hate the sight of him. That troubled me because I knew it was not healthy,” said Hongli.

During those frustrating months, she prayed to God about her situation and also prayed for her colleague.

Meekness and majesty, grace and truth 

At that time, her friend Juinn Yee sent her a devotion from Life Church that touched on how believers can be discipled to become more like Jesus.

A section of the devotion read as follows: “Jesus is the personification of love, but not in a weak and effeminate sense. He is the personification of strength, but not like a bully or tyrant. He embodies meekness and majesty, grace and truth. To the prideful Pharisees, He said: ‘You brood of vipers.’ To the humiliated woman caught in adultery, He said: ‘Where are those who condemn you? Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.’”

“As I read it, I felt God speaking to me and teaching me that forgiving someone does not mean not doing what is necessary to protect myself. He showed me it is not wrong to take a stand, draw boundaries, tell the aggravator what I feel, ask him to stop it and call it out if it continues,” said Hongli.

Shortly after, she clashed with that colleague again. She was at the pantry having a short tea break after a long morning of work – which was allowed and encouraged for all employees – when he came storming in and questioning why she was doing so when there was still outstanding work to be done.

This time, Hongli decided not to walk away or argue with him. She asked him to follow her to the office to see their supervisor together, so that the supervisor could decide whether she was in the wrong for taking a break.

From that day onwards, that colleague stopped bothering her. Upon reflection, she realised that that episode taught her something about forgiveness.

“I realised that if I didn’t call such behaviour out, it is not helping him either as he would not learn that what he is doing is wrong. I continue to pray for that colleague and hope that we can become good friends one day. But since then, God has also shown me that forgiving someone, like my estranged husband, does not mean that I need to be reconciled or maintain a friendly relationship with that person as though nothing had happened,” said Hongli.

“My relationship with Cheng is like a broken cup. When I forgive him, it is like putting the pieces together so that it can be used again, but there is no way that the cup is the same as before,” she added.

Hongli with local actress Felicia Chin and her mother-in-law at the 爱我愿意 Christmas concert in December 2023. She shared her testimony and performed with other celebrities in the concert.

Towards Cheng, Hongli said she bears no ill will or desire for vengeance. However, she still feels the pain and hurt whenever she recalls what he did to her and her children.

“Having to live daily with the consequences and challenges brought by his trespass, forgiveness has become an ongoing reality for me. There were difficult days – like when the case was heard, when the sentencing was passed then the caning element was removed, or when I am unable to make ends meet and worries about the future hits me – my emotions are stirred again, and I have to ask myself again: have I truly forgiven?” she admitted.

Sitting with her feelings before God

However, she has learnt to sit with her feelings before God and not use them as an absolute measure of whether she has forgiven her estranged husband or not.

“Justice is about what is deemed as fair consequence for the wrongdoing, and that is up to the Courts. Forgiveness is a personal choice to let go of resentment and vengeance. I choose to walk this journey of forgiveness because I have given my life to Christ.

“Whether I feel I have obtained justice and whether I have forgiven him are two separate things and they can co-exist,” Hongli said to Salt&Light. She added that even if the Courts mete out the ultimate penalty – the death sentence – as a form of justice, a victim may still never forgive the perpetrator.

Hongli with Pastor James Lim at Hope Church’s Chinese Easter service in March 2024. She was sharing her testimony with members of the church.

What helped Hongli to forgive was witnessing the grace that God had extended to her through His provision over the last few years.

“I have experienced His love towards me in many ways. For example, it was a miracle that I did not feel any pain at all when I was hacked and when I suffered severe blood loss. God also sent many people to help me during my time in Singapore, such as strangers who gave me love gifts during my moments of need,” she said.

Hongli being hosted to a steamboat dinner with her friend Juinn Yee and her family in October 2024. Juinn Yee has been journeying with her through the years.

When the slashing incident happened, charity Ray of Hope helped her raise some S$105,000 through crowdfunding to defray her medical and living expenses during her initial recovery.  

When she despaired over not having the funds for an eye operation, other believers dug into their pockets to help her cover the cost. There was also the time when she found that she had blurred vision after the incident and optical shop Optique Zone stepped in to provide a suitable pair of new spectacles at a heavily discounted rate.

Hongli getting her vision checked by optometrist Jeremy Chau from Optique Zone for prescription lenses in March 2024.

St Luke’s Community Clinic also treated her at a subsidised rate when her left eye became inflamed.

Hongli getting her infected eye attended to at St Luke’s Community Clinic in January 2025.

When she needed help with translating and notarising certain documents to be furnished when she returns to China soon, legal translation firm JusConnect LLP supported her with its subsidised services.

Hongli will be returning to China in January next year because the court case has wrapped up and her work permit is expiring.

“I am looking forward to reuniting with my children in China but am also torn about whether to come back to Singapore as I would need the money to support my children and service the housing mortgage loan.

“Although my salary as a cleaner is barely sufficient to cover our costs, I still dream of giving my children a home and to serve God and those in need through mission work,” she said.

Hongli receiving a surprise Mother’s Day gift in May 2025, sent by her daughter in China.

Over the last three years, Hongli has tried to spread the love she has received to others by volunteering with various organisations like The Salvation Army, which does outreach to the migrant workers.

Hongli volunteering in migrant ministry with The Salvation Army in 2022.

For believers who are struggling with forgiveness, Hongli urges them not to feel guilty or blame themselves over it.

“As Christians, we often blame ourselves for failing to forgive or to forgive well, whether it is based on self-imposed or perceived expectations from others. It can be a lifelong process. The pain may never decrease but we can lay the hurt and hate down with God’s grace because He first forgave us,” she told Salt&Light.

“Choosing to forgive sets us on the path of healing and restoration so that we can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus has promised for us. Remember that we are not alone. Surrender all of it to Him, and He is always with us and will also send many others to help us along the way.”

If you wish to help Hongli financially or in other ways, she can be contacted at helpforhongli@gmail.com

Understanding forgiveness from the Bible

What does it mean to truly forgive? Salt&Light asked Rev Wilfred Leow, Associate Pastor at Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church to explain what forgiveness entails, and what it does not.

What does God’s word say about forgiveness?

The Bible teaches that forgiveness is rooted in God’s own character and His mercy toward sinners. God consistently reveals Himself as “compassionate and gracious… abounding in love” (Exodus 34:6). In the New Testament, Jesus places forgiveness at the centre of discipleship: We forgive because we have first been forgiven by God (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21–35). Forgiveness is not optional – it is a command that reflects our understanding of the Gospel. Jesus’ teaching in the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12, shows that receiving God’s grace and extending grace to others are inseparable. Forgiveness, therefore, is an act of obedience that mirrors God’s heart.

What does Matthew 18: 21-22 on forgiving someone 70 times 7 times mean? How do we practically live it out in our lives?

Jesus’ call to forgive “70 times 7” means forgiveness has no limit. It’s not about counting offences but cultivating a heart that refuses to hold grudges. Practically, we live this out by choosing to let go each time the hurt resurfaces, praying for the person instead of replaying the wrong, and responding with mercy rather than revenge.

What is the difference between forgiveness and seeking justice and restitution? Can these concepts co-exist or are they in tension? How do we obey the instruction to “turn the other cheek” in Matthew 5:38-40 and yet maintain the right to justice and restitution?

The Bible teaches that Christians should sometimes forgo their rights, compensation, and even justice, when a brother in Christ commits wrongdoing against you, for the sake of love, unity, and witness (1 Cor 6:1-8). This is especially so when the issue is personal insult, minor loss, or pride. (Matt 5:38-40)

But the Bible does not require believers to ignore serious wrongdoing. Paul affirms:
• Wrongdoing in the church must be confronted and dealt with (Matt. 18:15–17).
• Serious sins need consequences for the protection of the flock (1 Cor. 5:1–5).

In such cases, forgiveness releases the personal debt, while justice and restitution address the real wrong – and Scripture allows both to coexist. Forgiveness lets go of bitterness; justice seeks what is right; restitution repairs what was broken.

“Turning the other cheek” (Matt 5:38–40) means refusing revenge and responding without retaliation, not abandoning legitimate avenues for justice. God establishes governing authorities as His servants “to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” This shows that justice systems are legitimate and God-ordained. (Rom 13:1-4) We can forgive from the heart while still pursuing fair processes that uphold truth. In short: Forgive freely, pursue justice rightly, and refuse revenge completely.

Does forgiveness always lead to reconciliation? In what situations is it wiser not to be reconciled?

Forgiveness opens the door to reconciliation, but it doesn’t guarantee it – because reconciliation requires two changed hearts, not just one forgiving one (Matthew 18:15). Scripture says to pursue peace “as far as it depends on you” (Romans 12:18), which means reconciliation is unwise when the other person remains abusive, unrepentant, or unsafe. Forgiveness frees your heart; reconciliation rebuilds the relationship only when trust can truly be restored. In short: Forgiveness is always required; reconciliation is sometimes right.

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