According to a report from a major newspaper, a prominent professor from Tsinghua University has publicly accused the young author Jiang Fangzhou of systematic fabrication in her master's thesis, a matter that has become a trending topic.
The professor, Xiao Ying, presented a detailed table of evidence. The accusations include that all 20 citations in the thesis are fabricated, with five specific page number references for a Chinese translation of "Frankenstein" being completely non-existent. The thesis abstract is alleged to be highly similar to an article published in a 2008 literary journal, and the main body of the work shows clear signs of plagiarism, even replicating errors from source material. The university in question has responded, stating it has initiated an investigation, and the thesis has been urgently removed from a major academic database. Jiang Fangzhou has not yet issued a public response.
The core allegations are detailed and specific. Professor Xiao Ying, after a line-by-line comparison of sources, asserts that the master's thesis Jiang Fangzhou submitted in 2019 contains entirely fictitious citations. Multiple passages are said to be directly copied from foreign language translations without proper attribution, constituting dual violations of fabricating sources and plagiarism. Online users have reportedly posted comparative texts, showing that the page numbers and editions cited in the thesis do not correspond with the actual referenced works, indicating a typical and severe case of academic fraud in the humanities.
Professor Xiao Ying first published an article on his verified WeChat public account on August 11, 2025, publicly accusing Jiang Fangzhou, a 2019 graduate, of serious plagiarism and widespread fabrication in her master's thesis. Over the following ten months, he published several supplementary articles with additional evidence. In early April of this year, he submitted the initial public accusation via email to the administrative head of the relevant university department and was subsequently informed that an investigation into the alleged academic misconduct had been launched, with a stipulated 90-working-day completion period.
In May of this year, Professor Xiao Ying submitted supplementary materials via email to the university's academic integrity committee and received confirmation via phone that the investigation was ongoing and would be concluded within 90 working days. It is now early July 2026, over ten months since the initial public accusation and nearly three months into the university's investigation, yet no findings have been publicly released.
Jiang Fangzhou's literary career has been marked by early and rapid success: born in 1989, she began writing at age seven, published a book at nine, had columns in several well-known media outlets by twelve, was exceptionally admitted to Tsinghua University at nineteen, and became the youngest deputy editor-in-chief at a major magazine by twenty-three. However, this so-called "prodigy" has long been a figure of controversy. Her admission to Tsinghua University in 2008 with a significantly lowered score threshold sparked widespread online debate, especially as her college entrance exam Chinese language score was reportedly 117 points, lower than some engineering students at Tsinghua, leading many to question the legitimacy of her "literary genius" title.
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