China Reports Deaths of 5 Academicians and 23 University Professors in Half a Month

People wait for medical attention at Fever Clinic area in Tongren Hospital in the Changning district in Shanghai, on December 23, 2022. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

In the first half of May 2024, China witnessed the passing of five academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and 23 notable professors from prestigious universities. Among those who passed away were four professors from Peking University and three professors and senior engineers from Harbin Institute of Technology. The youngest was Chen Haolin, the head of the Information Management Department at Northeast Normal University, who was only 42 years old.

Passing of Five CAS Academicians

Chen Junwu, a senior CAS academician and expert in refining engineering technology, passed away on May 1. Elected as a CAS academician in 1991, he was recognized as a founding figure in catalytic cracking engineering technology.

Han Zhenxiang, an academician specializing in power systems and automation and former president of Zhejiang University, passed away on May 4 in Hangzhou. Elected as a CAS academician in 1999, Mr. Han pioneered the research of power system theory, methods, and new technologies in China.

Wang Geng, an expert in electrical design and manufacturing, died on May 8 in Shanghai. Mr. Wang joined the underground CCP in April 1949 and was elected as a CAS academician in 1991. He was involved in the design and development of the world’s first 12,000 kW dual-water internal-cooled steam turbine generator.

Bai Yilong, former deputy director of the Institute of Mechanics, passed away on May 9 in Beijing. Elected as a CAS academician in 1991, Mr. Bai was also a European Academy of Sciences academician. He specialized in explosion, solid, and nonlinear mechanics.

Dai Lixin, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, passed away on May 13 in Shanghai. Mr. Dai joined the CCP in 1949 and was elected a CAS academician in 1993. In 1997, he led the national project on “Chemical and Biological Research of Chiral Drugs.”

Renowned Professors and Area Pioneers

Wu Ho-Mou, a professor at the Graduate School of National Development at Peking University, passed away on May 3 in Taipei, Taiwan, due to illness. Born in Taiwan in 1952, Mr. Wu graduated from National Taiwan University and later studied at Stanford University. He taught at several U.S. universities before returning to Taiwan and then to mainland China, where he joined Peking University in 2006 and served as the Executive Deputy Dean from 2008 to 2012.

Li Leshan, the founder of the Industrial Design Department at Xi'an Jiaotong University, passed away on May 9. Born in 1945, Mr. Li studied and worked in Germany for 11 years and established the first Human-Computer Interaction design program in China upon his return in 1999.

Professor Wu Daihua of Wuhan University of Technology passed away suddenly on May 9. He was the founding head of the Mechanics Department and established the Mechanics Research Institute. Mr. Wu was also a co-founder of the Hubei Composite Materials Society and held various significant roles in academia and politics.

Professor Dong Yi, former Rheumatology and Immunology Department director at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, passed away on May 11. She was a key figure in founding China’s first rheumatology group and was recognized for her pioneering contributions to the field.

Young Faculty

Chen Haolin, head of the Information Management Department at the School of Information Science and Technology, Northeast Normal University, passed away on May 9 in Changchun at the age of 42. Ms. Chen was born in February 1982 and taught at Northeast Normal University since August 2011. Her books include Research on the Working Mode of Grassroot Party Organizations in Colleges and Universities under the New Media Environment.

The obituary described her as an “outstanding member of the Chinese Communist Party.”

In addition to these 23 professors, there was one young teacher who died at a young age.

Huang Fei, a young lecturer at the School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, died on May 10 in Wuhan at the age of 41. Born on Oct. 20, 1983, Huang began his tenure as a lecturer in July 2011.