《华盛顿邮报》报道王铭铭事件及哈维兰的评论
an honest mistake
Joe McDonald
来源：Washington Post,Thursday,January 17,2002
Plagiarism Scandal Hits China
作者: Joe McDonald 来源:Washington Post
Thursday, January 17, 2002
BEIJING -- Wang Mingming is a model Chinese educator - young, Western-trained and credited with updating the teaching of sociology.
But now, the professor at elite Peking University is at the center of a plagiarism scandal, accused of copying a book by an American researcher.
The controversy has jumped to newspapers and the Internet, fueling argument over academic standards in a country where shops are well-stocked with pirated movies, music, books and other stolen intellectual property.
Wang is accused of using parts of a 1987 edition of "Cultural Anthropology," a widely used textbook by William A. Haviland of the University of Vermont, in his own 1998 book. Wang translated Haviland’s book into Chinese in 1987 with his permission.
The official Xinhua News Agency says Wang has been stripped of his teaching posts. However, the school says it is still weighing his fate and won’t give any details. His department says Wang doesn’t want to talk to reporters.
Wang has received an outpouring of support on the Internet, where students and others argue that he is being treated too harshly.
An online bulletin board run by his department lists more than 1,200 messages posted this week about him. Many came from students who praise Wang as an excellent teacher. They say that if Peking University wants to set an example, it picked the wrong target.
"How many books ... are written totally by the authors? Even students’ papers are copies of others," said a note signed with the English name "Tailor."
Nevertheless, said another, the professor has to be held accountable: "Wang dug his own grave. He deserves this."
A spokesman for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank, said a scholar hasn’t been punished for plagiarism in China for at least six years.
"This case has gotten a lot of attention, not because the problem is getting worse, but because the press situation is opening up, letting the public know the truth," said the spokesman, who refused to give his name.
The controversy is in striking contrast to China’s tolerance of fraud elsewhere.
Copying of foreign products is rampant, despite occasional crackdowns. xxxxutives are routinely said to lie about their education. China’s supreme court agreed only this week to let shareholders sue companies that lie about their finances.
Wang was accused in December by a graduate student writing in a Shanghai scholarly journal. The student pointed to sections of Wang’s 1998 book "Imaginary Alien Nation" that were identical to the Chinese version of Haviland’s book.
Haviland, who retired in 1999, said Wang wrote to him to apologize for using his material without citing him.
"I’m not upset. He got a little carried away," Haviland said by telephone from his home in Maine.
Peking University wouldn’t release information about Wang’s background, and he no longer appears on a Web site that lists its faculty’s qualifications.
According to the state newspaper China Youth Daily, Wang received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He did research in Scotland and was a visiting scholar in Taiwan.
"Wang Mingming systematically introduced the most advanced Western theories of sociology to China," the newspaper said.
The controversy could be especially painful for Peking University because the school regards itself as a leader in raising Chinese academic standards.
Foreign-trained scholars such as Wang are considered a key part of modernization. China is trying to lure them home from jobs abroad with promises of quick promotions and money for research - sometimes at the expense of older colleagues.
Haviland said Wang’s translation of his 1987 book was the first modern anthropology textbook published in China. Wang has permission to translate the latest edition of the book, he said, and the current controversy won’t affect that.
"It’s played an important role in reviving anthropology in China," Haviland said. "I would hate to see the guy go down the tubes for what appears to be an honest mistake."
(c) 2002 The Associated Press
an honest mistake
Joe McDonald
来源：Washington Post,Thursday,January 17,2002
Plagiarism Scandal Hits China
作者: Joe McDonald 来源:Washington Post
Thursday, January 17, 2002
BEIJING -- Wang Mingming is a model Chinese educator - young, Western-trained and credited with updating the teaching of sociology.
But now, the professor at elite Peking University is at the center of a plagiarism scandal, accused of copying a book by an American researcher.
The controversy has jumped to newspapers and the Internet, fueling argument over academic standards in a country where shops are well-stocked with pirated movies, music, books and other stolen intellectual property.
Wang is accused of using parts of a 1987 edition of "Cultural Anthropology," a widely used textbook by William A. Haviland of the University of Vermont, in his own 1998 book. Wang translated Haviland’s book into Chinese in 1987 with his permission.
The official Xinhua News Agency says Wang has been stripped of his teaching posts. However, the school says it is still weighing his fate and won’t give any details. His department says Wang doesn’t want to talk to reporters.
Wang has received an outpouring of support on the Internet, where students and others argue that he is being treated too harshly.
An online bulletin board run by his department lists more than 1,200 messages posted this week about him. Many came from students who praise Wang as an excellent teacher. They say that if Peking University wants to set an example, it picked the wrong target.
"How many books ... are written totally by the authors? Even students’ papers are copies of others," said a note signed with the English name "Tailor."
Nevertheless, said another, the professor has to be held accountable: "Wang dug his own grave. He deserves this."
A spokesman for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank, said a scholar hasn’t been punished for plagiarism in China for at least six years.
"This case has gotten a lot of attention, not because the problem is getting worse, but because the press situation is opening up, letting the public know the truth," said the spokesman, who refused to give his name.
The controversy is in striking contrast to China’s tolerance of fraud elsewhere.
Copying of foreign products is rampant, despite occasional crackdowns. xxxxutives are routinely said to lie about their education. China’s supreme court agreed only this week to let shareholders sue companies that lie about their finances.
Wang was accused in December by a graduate student writing in a Shanghai scholarly journal. The student pointed to sections of Wang’s 1998 book "Imaginary Alien Nation" that were identical to the Chinese version of Haviland’s book.
Haviland, who retired in 1999, said Wang wrote to him to apologize for using his material without citing him.
"I’m not upset. He got a little carried away," Haviland said by telephone from his home in Maine.
Peking University wouldn’t release information about Wang’s background, and he no longer appears on a Web site that lists its faculty’s qualifications.
According to the state newspaper China Youth Daily, Wang received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He did research in Scotland and was a visiting scholar in Taiwan.
"Wang Mingming systematically introduced the most advanced Western theories of sociology to China," the newspaper said.
The controversy could be especially painful for Peking University because the school regards itself as a leader in raising Chinese academic standards.
Foreign-trained scholars such as Wang are considered a key part of modernization. China is trying to lure them home from jobs abroad with promises of quick promotions and money for research - sometimes at the expense of older colleagues.
Haviland said Wang’s translation of his 1987 book was the first modern anthropology textbook published in China. Wang has permission to translate the latest edition of the book, he said, and the current controversy won’t affect that.
"It’s played an important role in reviving anthropology in China," Haviland said. "I would hate to see the guy go down the tubes for what appears to be an honest mistake."
(c) 2002 The Associated Press