A COVID-19 patient on a stretcher in the emergency ward of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, in China's southwestern city of Chongqing, on Dec. 22, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)
In recent weeks, universities across China have released a spate of obituaries chronicling the deaths of academics and professors. The list of the dead grows almost daily. None of the obituaries lists a specific cause of death beyond “unspecified illness” or “ineffective treatment.”
The death notices are effusive about the academic achievements of the deceased scholars, and in particular, their contributions to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). None of the obituaries mention the wave of COVID-19 that has swamped China since November’s demonstrations and the lifting of zero-COVID measures in early December.
The majority of the deceased academics, with some notable exceptions, were advanced in years. Prior to contracting COVID-19, these high-ranking CCP cadres were protected by access to top-notch medical treatment, and in some cases, were able to obtain organ transplants—unavailable to the party’s rank and file—in order to prolong their lives.
In death, as in life, they were useful to the party: each obituary serves as an advertisement for the achievements and reforms of the CCP.
Universities in Beijing
Beijing Normal University released an obituary late on Dec. 24, saying that Zhang Houcan, a member of the university’s board of trustees and chairman of the psychology department, had died. Zhang is known as a pioneer of psychology in China and served as a counselor for the State Council and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The death of the eminent psychologist was preceded by an obituary Dec. 14, stating the death of Huang Denghang, 88, a professor at the university’s Mathematics Institute. Huang was described as an “outstanding member of the CCP.”
On Dec.17, Lin Shixiong, CCP member and professor of the Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering of China University of Petroleum (Beijing) died at 90 due to “unsuccessful medical treatment.” Lin was a pioneer in the field of heavy oil processing in China.
On the same day, Xue Rongjiu, a professor at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics and vice president of the China World Trade Organization Research Institute, died at the age of 86.
As one of the architects of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Xue has long publicly defended the CCP. For example, at a press conference held in Beijing in 2016, Xue spoke with press officers of embassies and foreign journalists stressing CCP’s adherence to WTO rules. He praised China’s contributions to the world of economics, the “Belt and Road” initiative, the establishment of the Asian Investment Bank, and its participation in the Paris climate agreement.
On Dec. 15, Ni Guoqiang, CCP member and former head of Beijing Institute of Technology’s Department of Optoelectronic Engineering (a subfield of photonics), died at the age of 76. The obituary stated that Ni was “passionate about the CCP.”
A security guard at the entrance of the library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 3, 2010. (Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images)
Five obituaries were issued by the Beijing University of Technology between Dec. 24 and 29.
On Dec.29, Wang Hu—CCP member and former president of Beijing University of Technology—died at the age of 94. His obituary praised Wang as “an outstanding member of the CCP.” Wang played an important role as a political consultant and a member of the National Committee of Science, Education, Culture, Health and Sports.
Gu Yisheng, a retired instructor in the University’s Department of Materials and Manufacturing, died on Dec. 28 at the age of 89.
Zheng Jiyuan, a retired teacher at the Marxist Institute, died on Nov. 25 at the age of 88, due to “illness.” Zheng taught philosophy, natural dialectics, anti-Dühring theory, modern technological revolution and Marxism, philosophy of science and technology, and history of science and technology.
Xu Dianhuang, a retired instructor in the Department of Materials and Manufacturing, died on Dec. 25 at the age of 86. Similar to Zheng, cause of death was listed as “illness.”
Wang Zhenghong, a professor at the Beijing University of Technology who served as secretary of the China Committee of the International Geosynthetic Materials Society, died on Dec. 24 at the age of 99.
Wang worked in China’s water and electricity industry and had received a special allowance from the State Council since 1992.
Universities in Shanghai
On Dec. 22, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s College of Humanities published an obituary saying that Liu Tong, a professor at the college, had died at the age of 71. Liu was a renowned expert in Chinese historical geography, CCP history, and military history, and served as an expert at the Institute for War Trials and World Peace and the Research Center for CCP History and Construction.
Liu Dalin, a professor at Social Sciences Department at Shanghai University, died in the intensive care unit in the early hours of Dec. 17, at the age of 90.
Other Regions
Dong Yuming, a professor at the Institute of Pharmacy of Lanzhou University in Gansu Province, died on Dec. 19, at the age of 51 after “failing to respond to medical treatment.”
On Dec. 18, Zhao Guoliang, a famous Chinese economist, and professor at Chengdu-based Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, located in Sichuan Province, passed away. The official report did not specify the cause of death.
On Dec. 15, Zhao Zisen, a fiber optic communications expert, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and doctoral supervisor at Wuhan-based Huazhong University of Science and Technology, died at the age of 91.
