A scandal involving extramarital affair between a married vice dean and a male student at the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering of Beijing Institute of Technology has shocked Chinese society. The school’s notification stated that the misconduct of Gong, the vice dean in question, was confirmed, leading to his expulsion from the Communist Party and revocation of his teaching qualifications. Ironically, Gong held multiple positions including being a member of the disciplinary committee and was previously praised as an “outstanding trade union cadre”.
On the evening of April 19, a male netizen named Chang Xuqiang posted a video and a complaint letter online, accusing Gong Lin, the vice dean, professor, and doctoral supervisor at the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering of Beijing Institute of Technology, of favoritism, sexual harassment of students and engaging in inappropriate sexual relationship with a student (himself).
Chang Xuqiang is a graduate student at the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering of Beijing Institute of Technology. He provided his identification card, reporting Gong Lin for alleged favoritism, embezzlement of public funds for dining and entertainment, harassment, and leading to a sexual relationship with him that resulted in severe depression. “I feel sick of what happened in the office…”
The exposure immediately ignited a firestorm on the internet. In the early hours of April 20, the official Weibo account of Beijing Institute of Technology released a statement confirming the essence of the report and announcing the suspension of all duties of Gong Lin. The announcement further fueled public outrage.
Several hours later, Beijing Institute of Technology issued another notice disclosing the latest decision on Gong Lin: he was expelled from the Communist Party, relieved of administrative duties, stripped of his professorship, revoked his qualification as a doctoral supervisor, had his teaching position at Beijing Institute of Technology revoked, and termination of employment relations. It also requested the higher education administrative department to revoke his teaching qualification.
According to the official account of the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology, Gong Lin not only served as the executive vice dean but also as a disciplinary committee member. On April 25, 2024, during a party disciplinary education reading class, Gong Lin guided the study.
Southern Metropolitan News reported that Gong Lin also served as the chairman of the union at the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering and was named the “Outstanding Trade Union Cadre” in 2018.
An article released by the Beijing Institute of Technology Trade Union on September 9, 2022, showed that Gong Lin delivered a speech at the initiation meeting of the final round of the 13th Young Teachers’ Basic Teaching Skills Competition, stating that “a good teacher is a student’s lifelong wealth”.
Gong Lin, born in 1979 in Yuncheng, Shandong, completed his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at Beijing Institute of Technology. Following his doctoral graduation, he stayed on to teach, served two years as a state employee at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology before being dismissed, and held positions as the executive vice dean, professor, doctoral supervisor, and general manager of Beijing Institute of Technology Asset Operation Co. Ltd.
Chang Xuqiang detailed the progression of events from acquaintance to an inappropriate sexual relationship with Gong Lin during his report. According to Chang Xuqiang, in November 2021, he and Gong Lin became friends online, and by early November 2022, they began frequent communication, including dining together, exercising together, and Gong Lin even purchased skincare products for him online.
Chang Xuqiang revealed that after their acquaintance, Gong Lin repeatedly sought confirmation of his sexual orientation and relationship status. Later, Gong Lin expressed his love for Chang Xuqiang via text, and in January 2023, they went to Jiaxing, Zhejiang, to a hotel where they engaged in a sexual relationship.
Subsequently, Gong Lin took him to Dalian multiple times to a hotel, and they engaged in inappropriate relationships in the office at the school. Chang Xuqiang mentioned that after each encounter, he had to shower and rinse his mouth repeatedly.
Explaining why he didn’t report the incidents sooner, Chang Xuqiang stated that Gong Lin was the vice dean of the school, appeared to be a qualified husband with two children, and if he had revealed everything, he feared he would be considered crazy, making it impossible for him to continue at the school.
Chang Xuqiang, born in 2001 and currently 24 years old, from Dunhua, Jilin, was admitted to Beijing Institute of Technology with a score of 645 on the college entrance examination.
The scandal has sparked widespread attention on the internet. Many netizens have called for strict punishment for Gong Lin, labeling him as a “pervert”.
This incident once again highlights the serious issue of power abuse and moral degradation in Chinese universities, shedding light on just a fraction of the sexual harassment and assault problems on campuses. Male-male relationships are comparatively rare.
Recently, similar incidents have been erupting frequently in mainland Chinese universities:
In April, an economics department teacher at Liaocheng University in Shandong was reported for using a fake identity to romantically engage with multiple female students and engage in relationships, leading to his dismissal.
In March, a professor at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Hunan University of Science and Technology was reported by his wife for having an affair with a female student, resulting in his suspension.
In February, the vice dean of the School of Environment at Nanjing Normal University was dismissed after he was exposed for having an affair with a female doctoral student by the student’s boyfriend.