20 Former or Current University Leaders in China Succumb to Illness in Past 3 Months

The main entrance of the Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University in Beijing. Teng Teng, former deputy party boss and vice president of Tsinghua University, and former president of the University of Science and Technology of China, died of illness on July 30, 2023. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

Universities in communist China have reported losing quite a few academics and ideological leaders over the past three months.

From June to August this year, at least 20 cadres in universities, all members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), died of illness.

More than 10 were the highest-level cadres of their university, such as university president, deputy president, Party head, or deputy Party head.

These 20 people include renowned scholars Teng Teng, former deputy Party head of Tsinghua University and former president of the University of Science and Technology of China, as well as Wang Yingluo, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Three died at a relatively young age, as they were either under 60 or just turned 60.

The unusually high number of deaths is likely tied to a new wave of COVID-19 infections over the summer.

The number of infections caused by the latest coronavirus strain EG.5 (Eris) in China has risen to 71.6 percent in August from just 0.6 percent in April, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

University Leaders

Born in 1930, Mr. Teng, a chemical engineer, joined the CCP in 1948. He held prominent positions such as deputy president and deputy Party head of Tsinghua University, deputy director of the National Science and Technology Commission, deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department, and vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He was also a member of the Standing Committee of the Eighth and Ninth National People’s Congress. He died of illness on July 30.

Wang Yingluo, a senior academician and former vice president of Xi‘an Jiaotong University, died of illness in Xi’an on July 11. Mr. Wang was born in May 1930. He was the leader of the Management Discipline Evaluation Group of the National Natural Science Foundation and a scholar of the Three Gorges Project Expert Group. He was the first group of experts to receive special government allowances from the State Council.

Li Jiguang, former director of the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, died of illness in Shenyang on Aug. 11 at the age of 70. Mr. Li was a surgeon and oncologist. As a prominent scholar, he too enjoyed the special state allowance from the State Council when he was alive.

Wu Weicheng, former director of the Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Guangzhou Medical University and former director of the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, died of illness on Aug. 4 at the age of 80.

The others on the deceased list include Zhong Zhenhua, former deputy Party boss of Hangzhou Medical College, who died at the age of 64 due to illness; Zhao Shanzhong, Executive Vice President of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and professor of Mathematics, who died at the age of 84; Wang Shizheng, former president of Shanghai Second Polytechnic University, who died at the age of 83; Ding Ming, Former Dean and Party boss of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, who died at the age of 98; Liu Zhiren, former deputy party boss of the University of International Business and Economics, who died at the age of 90; and Li Kanghua, former vice president of University of International Business and Economics, who died at the age of 85, among with others.

Three People 60 or Under

Lan Hengbin, Party boss of Northeast Normal University, died of sudden acute myocardial infarction in Changchun on July 11 at the age of 57.

Zhang Daofang, vice president of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, died of illness in Shanghai Xinhua Hospital on June 30 at the age of 60.

Li Qingchang, Party boss and vice president of the School of Basic Medicine of China Medical University, died of illness in Shenyang on June 10 at the age of 51. Mr. Li Qingchang has won numerous science and technology awards from the Ministry of Education and the Science and Liaoning Province.