Hong Kong Media: China's Leading Historian Yang Nianqun Embroiled in Sex Scandal
According to Hong Kong media reports, Yang Nianqun, a prominent Chinese historian, is embroiled in a sex scandal involving inappropriate relationships with multiple women and alleged abuse of his academic position. The report highlights the prevalence of sex scandals in Chinese universities.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 11:16
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Central News Agency
(Hong Kong, Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien, 30th) Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper today reported that sex scandals in Chinese universities are not uncommon, with the latest involving leading historian Yang Nianqun. Yang Nianqun's maternal great-grandfather was Liang Qichao, a famous figure of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era.
According to the report, 62-year-old Yang Nianqun is a leading figure in Chinese historiography, currently a professor at the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University of China, and also a member of the National Qing History Compilation Committee and director of the Institute of Historical Theory at Renmin University of China.
The report stated that Yang Nianqun had a "charming demeanor" and came from a prominent family; his paternal great-grandfather was Yang Du, and his maternal great-grandfather was Liang Qichao, both famous figures of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era.
However, this leading historian has recently been at the center of a storm because a woman surnamed Liu publicly accused him of having "improper relationships" with multiple women and "using his academic status for emotional manipulation and resource exchange."
The report pointed out that the accuser, Ms. Liu, claimed to have been a master's student at the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University in July 2020 and audited Yang Nianqun's online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she met Yang Nianqun, who claimed to be single, and the two quickly developed a "teacher-student relationship."
Ms. Liu stated that in February this year, she found a large number of old emails in Yang Nianqun's email, one of which was written by someone surnamed Shen in 2006. The email read: "When exactly are you going to divorce? I have waited too long, I cannot be without a proper status. I want your child."
According to the report, the woman surnamed Shen is currently working at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Ms. Liu later discovered that more than 10 women may have had long-term emotional entanglements with Yang Nianqun, including an associate professor surnamed Yan at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Yang Nianqun was also suspected of using his position as a juror to help her win the "New Historiography Youth Monograph Award."
The report stated that Ms. Liu's real-name accusation sparked a huge reaction online in China, and Yang Nianqun's image as a "great scholar" collapsed.
Some netizens found that Yang Nianqun's information had been deleted from the official website of the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University, and the information of the women surnamed Yan and Shen had also been deleted from the official websites of Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, respectively.
The report also stated that sex scandals in Chinese universities are not uncommon. Previously, Mao Haijian, a famous Qing history expert who authored "The Collapse of the Heavenly Dynasty," was accused by a female student of forced embrace while serving as a professor at the University of Macau. He was sentenced by the Macao court for "sexual harassment" to 7 months in prison, suspended for two years.
In 2024, Wang Guiyuan, former party secretary and deputy dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Renmin University of China, was accused by a female doctoral student of sexual harassment and forced indecency, and was subsequently dismissed. (Editor: Chou Hui-ying) 1150430
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(Hong Kong, Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien, 30th) Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper today reported that sex scandals in Chinese universities are not uncommon, with the latest involving leading historian Yang Nianqun. Yang Nianqun's maternal great-grandfather was Liang Qichao, a famous figure of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era.
According to the report, 62-year-old Yang Nianqun is a leading figure in Chinese historiography, currently a professor at the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University of China, and also a member of the National Qing History Compilation Committee and director of the Institute of Historical Theory at Renmin University of China.
The report stated that Yang Nianqun had a "charming demeanor" and came from a prominent family; his paternal great-grandfather was Yang Du, and his maternal great-grandfather was Liang Qichao, both famous figures of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era.
However, this leading historian has recently been at the center of a storm because a woman surnamed Liu publicly accused him of having "improper relationships" with multiple women and "using his academic status for emotional manipulation and resource exchange."
The report pointed out that the accuser, Ms. Liu, claimed to have been a master's student at the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University in July 2020 and audited Yang Nianqun's online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she met Yang Nianqun, who claimed to be single, and the two quickly developed a "teacher-student relationship."
Ms. Liu stated that in February this year, she found a large number of old emails in Yang Nianqun's email, one of which was written by someone surnamed Shen in 2006. The email read: "When exactly are you going to divorce? I have waited too long, I cannot be without a proper status. I want your child."
According to the report, the woman surnamed Shen is currently working at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Ms. Liu later discovered that more than 10 women may have had long-term emotional entanglements with Yang Nianqun, including an associate professor surnamed Yan at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Yang Nianqun was also suspected of using his position as a juror to help her win the "New Historiography Youth Monograph Award."
The report stated that Ms. Liu's real-name accusation sparked a huge reaction online in China, and Yang Nianqun's image as a "great scholar" collapsed.
Some netizens found that Yang Nianqun's information had been deleted from the official website of the Institute of Qing History at Renmin University, and the information of the women surnamed Yan and Shen had also been deleted from the official websites of Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, respectively.
The report also stated that sex scandals in Chinese universities are not uncommon. Previously, Mao Haijian, a famous Qing history expert who authored "The Collapse of the Heavenly Dynasty," was accused by a female student of forced embrace while serving as a professor at the University of Macau. He was sentenced by the Macao court for "sexual harassment" to 7 months in prison, suspended for two years.
In 2024, Wang Guiyuan, former party secretary and deputy dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Renmin University of China, was accused by a female doctoral student of sexual harassment and forced indecency, and was subsequently dismissed. (Editor: Chou Hui-ying) 1150430
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you give is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" app to stay updated on the latest news.
This website's text, images, and audio/video may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.