The botany professor who wants to give Deng Yujiao a degree

Fu Dezhi on a botanical expedition

In yesterday’s Southern Metropolis Daily, blogger Xifeng (an abbreviated form of 西风独自凉) wrote in to respond to the news that Fu Dezhi (傅德志), professor at the Chinese Academy of Science famous for championing the “South China tiger” photo was fake, has declared that: “I am definitely recruiting Deng Yujiao as a graduate student!” (这个研究生我招定了!).

The case of the waitress who stabbed an official to death when he tried to sexually assault her has been in the news until her release from prison this June.

Since then she has been recuperating in her home in Hubei province. The letter editorial is not the only coverage of this new “proposal”; there was another response today and others on the Southern Metropolis Daily website.

Recently, Fu Dezhi, the “tiger-fighter” who got famous, the professor and PhD supervisor at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, declared that he wanted to recruit Deng Yujiao as his student, saying: “I am definitely taking in this graduate student” (Southern Metropolis Daily, July 4).

This caused a raucous of opinion. Some are skeptical. Does someone like Deng Yujiao, who has never been in contact with botany, have the potential to be a good botanist? The conclusion: it would be better for Deng Yujiao not to do the degree. Fu Dezhi should also help her realize her goal of studying Information Technology,

And on a website from Deng’s home province, Hubei, the reaction was even stronger:

An article titled “Don’t disturb Deng Yujiao’s peace” maliciously speculates the motivation behind Fu Dezhi’s desire to acquire Deng as a student: “It seems that Fu Dezhi’s brain has been damaged: through these shenanigans, even if he doesn’t get what he desires, at least in the hearts of the people, I, Fu Dezhi, hates evil and there is no end to showing off at the right moment… Next someone might register ‘Yujiao’ brand underwear, reality tells us that there is a large possibility that this might happen － both Deng Yujiao and related government departments should be mentally prepared for this.”

It was also on this same website that one commenter made a serious warning: “If Supervisor Fu has a malicious purpose, the writer hopes that he will let go of the idea of recruiting Deng. For a ‘pervert’ to meet Deng, the precedent would hint that they might lose their life.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

Fu Dezhi says that he’s not joking around: whether Deng will come to Beijing to study or work is up to her. Why are all of you in a rush to worry when she hasn’t expressed an opinion herself? In reality the reason for why Fu Dezhi has decided to ask Deng to be his student wasn’t down to an impulsive moment or decision, but a finished plan for both her finances and educational resources.

Plant taxonomy expert Yang Yong, and palaeobotany professor Wang Qi are ready to begin research projects in conservation biology, which would award a graduate degree in 5 years (3-4 years will be used making up high school and university classes, and then in 1-2 years the graduate degree thesis would be completed), and in eight years the student can get a PhD. On his blog Fu Dezhi made public the telephone numbers to confirm this project, and has even made plans for Deng’s extra-cirricular life during this time, planning for Deng to live with Mo Fei, the wife of China plants species center Dr. Wang Lisong.

In the Zhou Zhenglong tiger affair, Fu Dezhi promised that the photo was fake based on a scientist’s reputation, causing the initial wave of the “fake photo incident,” and wanting to recruit Deng Yujiao as a student, wanting to leave for Badong [her home town] to discuss going to school with Deng Yujao, making arrangements for her to study medicine, he is considerate and warm-hearted.

Helping Deng to study Information Technology is not in conflict with Fu Dezhi asking her to be his student, asking her to do a graduate program is only part of the story. In the process of making up her basic studies, a choice of vocation can be made based on her achievements and interests. At least, the fact that there is such a person who cares about Deng, wanting her to have an ideal job which she is qualified for － this shouldn’t be the cause for a problem.

Talking about him “showing off,” Fu Dezhi became a special interview subject for huge media such as CCTV when the truth about the tiger was out. The general opinion was that Fu was right and had made a great contribution. The malicious attacks made on Fu were therefore baseless. Would a successful professor and PhD supervisor, with many pupils, promote himself in this way? This is what it means to say that the pervert’s mind is colored by perverted thoughts. When you are wearing colored glasses, even the midday sun looks gray.

“Whether we let Deng Yujiao into Beijing to do a physical examination, to study, to work and even just to wander around, is a touchstone for whether she can be awarded with real freedom!” Fu Dezhi’s declaration was sonorous, and might have also been the cause behind other people’s hatred of him.