His speech was intended to encourage students “to use their own efforts to change their destiny, and to step toward the wider country and the world,” he said.
The professor also said he had “joked” about topics including gender and nationalities in his talk, and that “as an educator who has worked for more than 30 years, I feel very guilty” about what he termed a misunderstanding.
Chen said he was suspended from his teaching duties and asked by the university to write an essay reflecting on the matter. His biographical page, which says he won numerous accolades for teaching, has been removed from Hefei Normal’s website.
Chen was once named “outstanding Communist Party member” at Hefei Normal, according to the bio.
The government of Lujiang county said in a statement on social media that what was supposed to be a motivational speech caused “dissatisfaction” among teachers and students due to “inappropriate content.”
Officials are investigating the middle school over its vetting of the professor’s presentation and will “hold it to account,” the government said, adding that the university’s party committee is looking into Chen.
Calls to Hefei Normal University and Lujiang Middle School weren’t answered.
Bloomberg