Associate Professor at Yan'an University Dies, Allegedly Leaving Note Reporting School; Shaanxi Forms Joint Investigation Team

An associate professor at Yan'an University in Shaanxi Province, China, has died.

A letter circulating online, said to have been left by him, accuses the university of an unreasonable research assessment system and alleges fake research funding projects and staff "collecting pay without working." The Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education has announced a joint investigation team to thoroughly investigate and verify the matter.

In a notice issued Wednesday evening (Nov 4), the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education said it was deeply saddened by the death of a teacher surnamed Bai at Yan'an University.

In response to issues of public concern online, the department has formed a joint investigation team with relevant parties and is conducting a full investigation and verification, and will handle the matter in accordance with laws and regulations.

According to reports by The Paper, Southern Metropolis Daily and other outlets, the deceased teacher was Bai Baoguo, an associate professor at Yan'an University's Lu Xun School of the Arts, aged 54.

Recently, a letter said to have been left by Bai Baoguo before his death circulated online, reporting that the university applies a "one-size-fits-all" approach in teacher assessments, setting rigid targets such as the amount of external research funding received and the number of papers published, and that some staff on the payroll have long been absent from their posts while still receiving salaries, a practice known as "collecting pay without working." The letter circulating online says that in September 2025, Bai Baoguo was told by the university that he had failed his assessment because he had not met the relevant targets for two consecutive employment periods, and that he faced demotion or transfer; at the same time, "a large number of staff on the payroll have long been absent from their posts, not performing their duties, and collecting pay without working, yet their assessments pass year after year." The letter alleges that some teachers, in order to meet assessment targets, fabricate research collaborations with companies, channeling self-raised funds through partner companies into the university and then back out through the university's financial channels, thereby meeting research funding requirements; some teachers must pay out of their own pockets to publish papers.

The letter circulating online says that to meet the relevant assessment targets, Bai Baoguo would have had to raise 150,000 yuan (RMB, about S$28,700) himself as external project funding and spend another 50,000 yuan to publish papers.

He believed these practices amounted to research fraud, and that as a frontline piano teacher, his main duties should be classroom teaching, performance practice and talent development.

The letter circulating online says Bai Baoguo refused to meet the assessment through fake research projects and paid paper publication, describing the situation as "The Emperor's New Clothes." However, the authenticity of the letter and the related allegations have not yet been confirmed.

A staff member at Yan'an University confirmed to Southern Metropolis Daily on Wednesday that Bai Baoguo had indeed died, and that the university was investigating and verifying the contents of the letter circulating online.

The First Inspection Team of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee told The Paper the same day that it was aware of the matter but had not previously received a report letter from Bai Baoguo, and would communicate with the university later.

Public information shows that Bai Baoguo graduated from Wuhan Conservatory of Music, had long been engaged in piano and applied piano teaching, had more than 30 years of teaching experience, was a member of the Chinese Musicians Association, and had published more than ten academic papers.