Wang Hui (intellectual)
Encyclopedia
Wang Hui is a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Tsinghua University
, Beijing
. His researches focus on contemporary Chinese literature and intellectual history. He was the executive editor (with Huang Ping) of the influential magazine Dushu
(读书, Reading) from May 1996 to July 2007. The US magazine Foreign Policy
named him as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world in May 2008. Wang Hui is the recipient of many awards for his scholarship, and has been Visiting Professor at Harvard, Bologna (Italy), Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, and the University of Washington, among others. In March 2010, he appeared as the keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the Association of Asian Scholars.
, Jiangsu
, in 1959. After finishing high school in Yangzhou, Wang Hui worked for two years as a factory worker before entering college. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yangzhou University
(then Yangzhou Normal College), and then graduate studies at Nanjing University
and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
where he received his Ph.D.
in 1988.
Wang Hui was a participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
. He was investigated about his involvement, but nothing significant or serious was found. He was later sent to "re-education" (“锻炼”, not to be confused with Re-education through labor “劳动教养”) in Shangluo
, Shaanxi
for one year. Through his many publications and journalistic endeavors, he has repeatedly called attention to the human suffering that economic reforms have visited on farmers, laid-off workers, women migrants, and other weak sectors of society; for these views, he has been called the leader of the New Left although Wang Hui has cautioned journalists that he prefers not to embrace this label:
Wang Hui’s monographs include, in Chinese, From An Asian Perspective: The Narrations of Chinese History (《亞洲視野：中國歷史的敘述》, 2010); For Alternative Voices (《別求新聲》, 2009); Depoliticized Politics (《去政治化的政治》, 2008); The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought (four volumes), (《現代中國思想的興起》, 2004–2009); and Rekindling Frozen Fire: The Paradox of Modernity (《死火重溫》, 2000). His books translated into English include the forthcoming The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought (four volumes), in press; The End of Revolution: China and the Limits of Modernity (Verso, 2010); China’s New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition, translated by Ted Huters and Rebecca Karl (Harvard University Press, 2003); Shisō kūkan toshite no gendai chūgoku (Modern China as a Space for Thinking), translated by Murata Yujiro, Nasuyama Yukio, and Onodera Shiro (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2006); and A New Asian Imagination (in Korean; Seoul: Creation and Criticism Press, 2003).
, the Honorary Chairman of the committee, and Qian Liqun, another committee member. Wang Hui was then the editor-in-chief of Dushu magazine, which was the administrative body of the prize.
, accused Wang Hui of plagiarism, citing what he deemed to be improper use of footnote protocols and incorrectly cited passages in Wang’s doctoral dissertation on Lu Xun
《反抗绝望》 (Against Despair). Wang Binbin's accusation was first published on an academic journal, and reappeared on Southern Weekly on March 25, 2010. Professor Wang Binbin suggested further that Wang Hui in his The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought may have used R. G. Collingwood's
canonical book, The Idea of History, with or without proper citations.
Apart from Wang Binbin's findings, an analysis of Wang Hui's weak use of footnotes by Xiang Yihua, a researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, revealed other sections incorporating sources without citation. He also published a review of Wang Hui's essay 《“赛先生”在中国的命运》 (English translation: "The Fate of 'Mr. Science' in China"), questioning the originality of his research.
Online commentators found some paragraphs in Against Despair to be copied verbatim from other sources. Authors such as M. B. Khrapchenko and F. C. Copleston were used without acknowledgment to either the original works or their translations.
The scholarly community are concerned over the plagiarism accusations. Prof. Lin Yu-sheng (Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison) agrees that some of plagiarism charges are sustained, which is concurred by Prof. Yu Ying-shih
. An open letter signed by more than 60 scholars called for Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
and Tsinghua University to investigate into the plagiarism case.
Some international scholars and weblog authors have come to Wang's defense, noting that this is mostly a case of sloppy citation practice, not actual plagiarism. A letter signed by 96 scholars addressing to the authority of Tsinghua University endorsing Wang Hui's scholarly integrity was made public on 9 July. Most of the passages highlighted by Wang Binbin did actually have citations to the original works, asking readers to "consult" those works. It is argued that there is no attempt by Wang Hui to hide the sources of the sections in question, even if the citations were at times nonstandard. Charles Custer, editor of the China Geeks site, has called the case against Wang Hui "pretty thin — to put it mildly."
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. His researches focus on contemporary Chinese literature and intellectual history. He was the executive editor (with Huang Ping) of the influential magazine Dushu
Dushu
Dushu is a monthly Chinese literary magazine. First published in April 1979 with its leading article No Forbidden Zone in Reading, it has great influence on Chinese intellectuals....
(读书, Reading) from May 1996 to July 2007. The US magazine Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
named him as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world in May 2008. Wang Hui is the recipient of many awards for his scholarship, and has been Visiting Professor at Harvard, Bologna (Italy), Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, and the University of Washington, among others. In March 2010, he appeared as the keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the Association of Asian Scholars.
Biography
Wang Hui was born in YangzhouYangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, in 1959. After finishing high school in Yangzhou, Wang Hui worked for two years as a factory worker before entering college. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yangzhou University
Yangzhou University
Yangzhou University is a university in Jiangsu Province, China. It grew out of a merger in 1992 of six existing colleges. The school has around 2,000 faculty and 31,000 undergraduates...
(then Yangzhou Normal College), and then graduate studies at Nanjing University
Nanjing University
Nanjing University , or Nanking University, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China...
and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , established in 1977, is the premier and highest academic research organization in the fields of philosophy and social sciences as well as a national center for comprehensive studies in the People's Republic of China. It was described by Foreign Policy...
where he received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1988.
Wang Hui was a participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. He was investigated about his involvement, but nothing significant or serious was found. He was later sent to "re-education" (“锻炼”, not to be confused with Re-education through labor “劳动教养”) in Shangluo
Shangluo
-Administrative divisions:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
for one year. Through his many publications and journalistic endeavors, he has repeatedly called attention to the human suffering that economic reforms have visited on farmers, laid-off workers, women migrants, and other weak sectors of society; for these views, he has been called the leader of the New Left although Wang Hui has cautioned journalists that he prefers not to embrace this label:
Works
Professor Wang has authored dozens of books, articles and public statement on the scholarly and socio-political issues of the day. A representative portion of his work has been translated into English and other languages.Wang Hui’s monographs include, in Chinese, From An Asian Perspective: The Narrations of Chinese History (《亞洲視野：中國歷史的敘述》, 2010); For Alternative Voices (《別求新聲》, 2009); Depoliticized Politics (《去政治化的政治》, 2008); The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought (four volumes), (《現代中國思想的興起》, 2004–2009); and Rekindling Frozen Fire: The Paradox of Modernity (《死火重溫》, 2000). His books translated into English include the forthcoming The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought (four volumes), in press; The End of Revolution: China and the Limits of Modernity (Verso, 2010); China’s New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition, translated by Ted Huters and Rebecca Karl (Harvard University Press, 2003); Shisō kūkan toshite no gendai chūgoku (Modern China as a Space for Thinking), translated by Murata Yujiro, Nasuyama Yukio, and Onodera Shiro (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2006); and A New Asian Imagination (in Korean; Seoul: Creation and Criticism Press, 2003).
- The Politics of Imagining Asia, Theodore Huters (Transl.), Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 2011 ISBN 978-0-674055193
Cheung Kong Dushu Prize
Wang Hui was involved in the controversy following the results of the Cheung Kong Dushu Prize (长江读书奖) in 2000. The prize was set up by Sir Li Ka-shing, which awards one million RMB in total to be shared by the winners. The 3 recipients of the prize in 2000 were Wang Hui, who served as the coordinator of the academic selection committee of the prize, Fei XiaotongFei Xiaotong
Fei Xiaotong, or Fei Hsiao-Tung was a pioneering Chinese researcher and professor of sociology and anthropology; he was also noted for his studies in the study of China's ethnic groups as well as a social activist...
, the Honorary Chairman of the committee, and Qian Liqun, another committee member. Wang Hui was then the editor-in-chief of Dushu magazine, which was the administrative body of the prize.
Allegations of Plagiarism
Professor Wang Binbin, a professor of literature from Nanjing UniversityNanjing University
Nanjing University , or Nanking University, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China...
, accused Wang Hui of plagiarism, citing what he deemed to be improper use of footnote protocols and incorrectly cited passages in Wang’s doctoral dissertation on Lu Xun
Lu Xun
Lu Xun or Lu Hsün , was the pen name of Zhou Shuren , one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in baihua as well as classical Chinese...
《反抗绝望》 (Against Despair). Wang Binbin's accusation was first published on an academic journal, and reappeared on Southern Weekly on March 25, 2010. Professor Wang Binbin suggested further that Wang Hui in his The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought may have used R. G. Collingwood's
R. G. Collingwood
Robin George Collingwood was a British philosopher and historian. He was born at Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands in Lancashire, the son of the academic W. G. Collingwood, and was educated at Rugby School and at University College, Oxford, where he read Greats...
canonical book, The Idea of History, with or without proper citations.
Apart from Wang Binbin's findings, an analysis of Wang Hui's weak use of footnotes by Xiang Yihua, a researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, revealed other sections incorporating sources without citation. He also published a review of Wang Hui's essay 《“赛先生”在中国的命运》 (English translation: "The Fate of 'Mr. Science' in China"), questioning the originality of his research.
Online commentators found some paragraphs in Against Despair to be copied verbatim from other sources. Authors such as M. B. Khrapchenko and F. C. Copleston were used without acknowledgment to either the original works or their translations.
The scholarly community are concerned over the plagiarism accusations. Prof. Lin Yu-sheng (Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison) agrees that some of plagiarism charges are sustained, which is concurred by Prof. Yu Ying-shih
Yu Ying-shih
Yu Ying-shih is a Chinese American historian known for his mastery of sources for Chinese history and philosophy, his ability to synthesize them on a wide range of topics, and for his advocacy for a new Confucianism...
. An open letter signed by more than 60 scholars called for Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , established in 1977, is the premier and highest academic research organization in the fields of philosophy and social sciences as well as a national center for comprehensive studies in the People's Republic of China. It was described by Foreign Policy...
and Tsinghua University to investigate into the plagiarism case.
Some international scholars and weblog authors have come to Wang's defense, noting that this is mostly a case of sloppy citation practice, not actual plagiarism. A letter signed by 96 scholars addressing to the authority of Tsinghua University endorsing Wang Hui's scholarly integrity was made public on 9 July. Most of the passages highlighted by Wang Binbin did actually have citations to the original works, asking readers to "consult" those works. It is argued that there is no attempt by Wang Hui to hide the sources of the sections in question, even if the citations were at times nonstandard. Charles Custer, editor of the China Geeks site, has called the case against Wang Hui "pretty thin — to put it mildly."
See also
- Contemporary Chinese Thought and the Question of ModernityContemporary Chinese Thought and the Question of Modernity"Contemporary Chinese Thought and the Question of Modernity" is an influential article of around 35,000 characters in length by Chinese intellectual historian and literary scholar Wang Hui, written in 1994 and published in left-wing literature journal Tianya in 1997...
, a major 1997 article by Wang - One China, Many PathsOne China, Many PathsOne China, Many Paths, edited by Chaohua Wang. A collection of essays by Chinese thinkers, reflecting the new thinking that developed in the 1990s...
- Chinese liberalismChinese liberalismLiberalism in China or 'Chinese liberalism' resulted from the introduction of classical liberalism into China during the period of Western domination towards the end of the Qing Dynasty...