A year ago, the abrupt rise in the number of deaths among public figures and celebrities in China made global headlines. Last month, there was yet again a noticeable increase in deaths among prominent people aged between mid-30s and under 65.
Top Experts
On Dec. 21, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) issued a simple announcement stating that its deputy chief designer, Cui Jiduo, “unfortunately passed away due to illness” at 56.Mr. Cui graduated from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in aircraft design. He has worked in the flight control room of the Chengdu Institute of Aviation Industry for 20 years. In December 2019, he took up the post of deputy chief designer of AVIC’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system.
In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) military has repeatedly used drones to harass Taiwanese soldiers on Taiwan-controlled islands. Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants to accelerate the development of intelligent combat capabilities of UAVs. Experts believe that unmanned drones will be one of the first weapons deployed in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
The sudden death of Mr. Cui, who was the backbone of drone technology, is regarded as a heavy blow to the research and development of the CCP’s military technology.
On the evening of Dec. 19, Fan Bo, executive dean of the School of Emergency Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and professor of the School of International and Public Affairs, died suddenly at 48.
Mr. Fan is a leading figure in philosophy and social talents in the CCP’s Special Program for High-Level Talents and has received many awards, such as the Young Yangtze Scholars from the Ministry of Education.
Mr. Fan’s students told Chinese media that before his death, he had no underlying medical conditions. He began to feel unwell on Nov. 25. Seven days later, his condition deteriorated to the point that he was unable to teach his courses. His health declined rapidly, and within two weeks, he passed away.
Lou Jianjun, the well-known general director of CCTV and a famous calligrapher, died of illness in Shanghai on Dec. 16 at 56. His work unit refused to disclose the cause of death due to “sensitive information and that his family is grieving.”
Nevertheless, according to Chinese news reports, an insider revealed that Mr. Lou died from a heart attack, but prior to his death, he was in good health, showing no signs of cardiovascular disease.
On Dec. 16, Zhou Guangyuan, a well-known polymer materials expert, passed away in Changchun, Jilin, at 51. The official obituary did not mention the cause of death.
Specializing in the controlled synthesis of polymer materials, Mr. Zhou has presided over a number of key scientific research tasks, including research projects of the Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense. He was granted 49 patents, including one U.S. patent. He has published about 40 academic papers in top scientific journals, such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Materials Chemistry, Journal of Polymer Science, and Polymer Chemistry.
On Dec. 15, the sudden death of Tang Xiao’ou, the founder of SenseTime and a leading artificial intelligence scientist, was among the most sensational news last month.
SenseTime, known as China’s “AI Unicorn,” is the driving force behind the CCP’s Skynet Project, which aims to build an extensive surveillance system nationwide. The company also develops AI-powered facial recognition software for banks and police departments in China.
In December 2021, the U.S. government added SenseTime to its blacklist of “China’s military-industrial complex enterprises” for providing facial recognition technology for the CCP’s oppression of Uyghur Muslims.
Mr. Tang is the third AI expert who died relatively young.
More than a year ago, Mr. Tang’s former colleague, Sun Jian, the chief AI scientist and director of Megvii Technology, died suddenly on June 14, 2022, at 46.
Megvii is an Alibaba-backed startup known for providing deep learning-based image analysis and recognition technologies.
Other Deaths
On the morning of Dec. 25, Pang Wei, a lecturer in the Department of Fiscal Studies at the School of Economics of Beijing Technology and Business University, passed away at 34 due to an illness. His main research focused on fiscal and tax system reform, value-added tax sharing, and local government debt management. He participated in projects of the National Social Science Fund and major research initiatives of the Ministry of Education in philosophy and social sciences.Luo Qi, a well-known mainland Chinese financial media personality, died of severe pneumonia on Dec. 24 at the young age of 36. Ms. Luo had worked at First Financial and then served as the head of Sina Finance’s Hong Kong station. She also worked at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
On Dec. 17, Liu Yonggang, a professor at the School of Literature of Yangzhou University and a doctoral supervisor, passed away at 54 due to a sudden illness. His main areas of work included research in classical literature, and he had led projects funded by the National Social Science Fund.
Tong Fang, an internet celebrity and host from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, passed away suddenly due to an unspecified illness on Dec. 19 at 37. She was still active on social media the day before she died, interacting with fans and posting new videos. She reportedly experienced sudden pain on the evening of Dec. 18 and took ibuprofen, but the pain did not subside. She passed away en route to the hospital.
Li Qiuxi, the former Communist Party head and chairman of Shanxi Fenjiu Group, passed away on Dec. 15 at 63. Fenjiu Group is a large state-owned enterprise producing and promoting Chinese liquor.
Wang Wei, the deputy chief of the Emergency Response Unit of the Ministry of Public Security’s Special Service Bureau, died of heart failure at Beijing Hospital on the evening of Dec. 7 at the age of 57. The news of his death was not released to the public until a week later, on Dec. 13.
On Dec. 14, Du Haitao, a financial tycoon and a deputy general manager at ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management Co. Ltd, died of a heart attack while running. He was 49 years old.
Yang Xuemei, the president and professor of Huanghe Institute of Science and Technology, died of a sudden heart attack on Dec. 13 at 53.
