After the chief engineer of Guizhou Maotai distillery was shortlisted for the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the chairman of Shandong Gold Group was also recommended for election as an academician. Even some official media commented that academicians are the highest academic title in China’s scientific field and cannot be swayed by “complex interest considerations” and “petty calculations”.
Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Association announced earlier this month eleven proposed candidates for this year’s mainland Academy of Engineering, including Chen Yumin, chairman of Shandong Gold Group. After the “white wine academician” of Maotai distillery, Chen Yumin was called “gold academician”, and some people even pointed out that the recommendation process of these two people “to raise virtuous not to avoid the rich”, which is not objective and fair.
Once the list was publicized, some netizens jokingly called Wang Li a “white wine academician”. Some people left a message saying, “To the Guizhou Association of Science and Technology praise, which has to drink how much Maotai?” Others said, “Wujiang squash, Lao Gan Ma, snail noodles, Sha Xian snacks, seafood, Lanzhou Ramen should be out of an academician.” Another netizen said that this is not very harmful to the mainland Academy of Engineering, but extremely insulting.
The official media Xinhua News Agency commented on this, “the two academies” is the highest academic title in the field of science on the mainland, the co-option is a matter of great importance. In the past few years, the recommendation process in individual places has been administrative and profit-oriented, so it must be professionalized and standardized.
According to He Qinglian, a mainland economic and social scholar now living in the United States, the matter has sparked such a strong reaction because it appears to subvert common sense. “Public opinion generally believes that the tobacco and alcohol industry should be restricted, but it is an important source of state tax on the mainland. If Maotai wine is able to generate such high tax revenue, then this is certainly related to its researcher, so the government considers her meritorious.”
Ten years ago there was a “tobacco academician”
In fact, Wang Li is not the first controversial member of the Academy of Engineering candidates. As early as a decade ago, Xie Jianping, then vice president of the Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of the Tobacco Corporation and a researcher, was elected an academician, once sparking great controversy, with nearly 100 academicians jointly requesting a reexamination of his qualifications as an academician. Critics at the Time questioned the technical content of his research and pointed out that smoking was harmful to health. Considering that tobacco companies are large taxpayers, tobacco experts elected to academicians, there is a suspicion of “commercial invasion of science. Now, the emergence of “white wine academician” makes people sigh, this is simply a replica of the “tobacco academician”.
Heng He, a commentator on current affairs who has worked in a domestic laboratory, believes that Maotai is not only a famous wine in the mainland, but also a political symbol, so Maotai engineers are obviously beyond the scope of academic discussions. “Maotai is a symbol of power in the mainland, so the people who drink Maotai are powerful people. The local government may be casting these people in a good light, thinking that this person can be recommended up, and Maotai does add a lot of tax revenue to the local area, and also opens up a path for local officials to be promoted.”
In addition to the “tobacco academician”, “liquor academician” incident let people fall, in recent years, some internationally renowned Chinese experts in the mainland failed to be elected academicians also make many people regret.
Academician system is “fame and fortune”?
Rao Yi, a Chinese biologist who received his PhD from Harvard University and taught at Northwestern University in the United States, was not elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. In the same year, he told the media that his defeat could not be due to academic reasons, but might be related to his “talking too much”. Rao Yi has often talked about the shortcomings of the mainland’s scientific community, including academic misconduct, obvious flaws in the distribution of research funds, and the one-sided pursuit of the number of papers, among others.
Tu Youyou, a ninety-year-old mainland pharmacologist, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2015 for discovering artemisinin and pioneering new treatments against malaria, but she has been unsuccessful in her previous nominations for membership in the mainland Academy of Chinese Medicine. Some public opinion believes that her lack of a doctorate and background in studying abroad has become a stumbling block for her in the system.
A hot article also circulated on the Internet, mockingly saying, “Since the emergence of gold academicians and Maotai academicians, the two academies have been unable to stop the swarming crowd.”
According to the article, “Numerous industry representatives have expressed their displeasure with the golden academician. Oil said, I find oil for the motherland, I am the blood of industry, when the academician deserved. Coal said, I contribute most of the energy supply for the motherland, who dares to compete with me. Iron and steel said, my scale is countless times larger than gold, gold is only my little brother, to my shoes are not worthy. The aluminum industry says, “Gold is only used to show off, which is more extensive than my actual use. Electricity said, who can have me more important, I pulled the switch to limit electricity, gold immediately become scrap metal.”
“There are also more than one person expressed disdain for Maotai academicians. Beer said, I am liquid bread, I am healthier than liquor. Juice said, I am the nutrition bank of vitamins, who can be more nutritious than me. Coke said, I represent the classic trend of consumption, without me, who can clear the public’s desire. Tap water said, I am the deserved king, you can not drink Moutai, who dares not to drink tap water, give me a show of hands? Soy sauce said, I just come to play soy sauce, but play soy sauce seems to be more than drinking Maotai.”
“In addition, transportation, Food, environmental protection, water conservancy, agriculture, etc. came in droves, and even squash, duck neck, tea also came to the party. The two Houses are in a difficult position, to whom not to give, it is difficult to convince the public, after group efforts, solemn study, announced a decision that all happy. Expand the size of the two academies, three hundred and sixty lines, the line of academicians; eight thousand professions, industry representatives. The provincial branches vigorously expand the scale, electricity, transportation, water and other basic industries to give a few more places as appropriate. The masses are happy, everyone as academicians, everyone is an expert of the times has come!
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