Can you believe that Zhang Yongzhen, a well-known virologist in China, was forced to lay outside the door because of the sudden closure of his laboratory!
Since then, the response of the Shanghai Public Health Center has aroused public anger, and netizens have shouted: Is this how you treat scientists?
When it comes to the name Zhang Yongzhen, many people may feel very unfamiliar. But if you put it another way, you may sigh how a scientist who is respected all over the world can suffer such a "grievance".
In 2021, Zhang Yongzhen and his team published a paper proving that the origin of the new coronavirus was not in Wuhan, and published the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus, a powerful argument that also "slapped in the face" some "conspiracy theorists" with ill intentions towards China.
Since then, Zhang Yongzhen has been selected as one of the top 10 people of the year by Nature magazine.
However, the Shanghai Public Health Center, a scientist who should be respected and loved, wantonly trampled on the "experimental results" of Zhang Yongzhen and his scientific research team, and forcibly closed the laboratory. It is important to know that the specimens in the laboratory of such viruses are very important data, and they need to be followed up and observed every day.
On April 28, the staff of the Shanghai Public Health Center got up early in the morning and closed the laboratory before 8 o'clock, and no team members were allowed to enter the laboratory to pick up their personal belongings.
Friends in Shanghai should know that on the night of the 28th, the weather conditions in Shanghai were not ideal, and it began to rain outside, and many people would rather hide at home than take a step out of the house on a rainy day. However, Zhang Yongzhen and his team members did not even have a warm place to live, so they could only spread a cardboard shell at the entrance of the laboratory, on which a thin bedding could barely be placed.
As you can see from the picture, the heavy rain has wet the floor of the corridor, and even the cardboard shell has been damp, and we young people can hardly bear the wet floor, let alone Zhang Yongzhen, a teacher who is 59 years old this year?
In the face of the closure of the laboratory by the Shanghai Public Health Center, Zhang Yongzhen's team could only use this way to silently stay outside the laboratory and express their protest and dissatisfaction.
Mr. Zhang's students' remarks in the comment area put the contradiction between the Shanghai Public Health Center and Mr. Zhang's team in front of everyone. The student said: When it rains heavily, the security guard guarding the door of the laboratory actually does not let Mr. Zhang move to a place where he can block the rain, and we can't understand why this wave of operations.
Netizens in the comment area are also one-sided, and some netizens said, our scientific researchers are the pillars of the country, and scientific research can strengthen the country, how can we treat scientific researchers in such a barbaric way, why can't we even do the most basic respect?
In fact, not everyone in Zhang Yongzhen's team protested outside the house, and some students were locked up in the lab because they were doing experiments in the lab all night.
If you want to enter the laboratory, you need a key card, but now all the key cards have been cancelled, and the student can no longer enter as long as he leaves the laboratory, so he has no choice but to stay in the laboratory to see the sample.
The student later posted that the hospital also arranged for two female security guards to stay in the laboratory with the student, but the two female security guards actually lay directly on the foam box that usually holds samples to rest, and the student was very worried about this situation.
After all, it is a box where samples are stored, and although they are usually sterilized, students in the laboratory usually wear gloves and lab coats if they need to touch these boxes.
The student pointed out that the hospital was afraid that the hospital's understanding of "biosecurity" was not enough, and the two female security guards did not conduct relevant science popularization before entering the laboratory.
And it was clear that there were two female security guards who came in, but there was only one chair for resting, and the students couldn't stand it, so they were provided with a chair for them, so they didn't have to continue to sit on the box containing the samples.
In the face of the boiling remarks on the Internet, the Shanghai Public Health Center issued a statement in the early morning of April 29, with three main meanings:
- The laboratory was closed and a renovation was planned for safety reasons.
- Another office and experimental space has been provided for Zhang Yongzhen's team.
- The Shanghai Public Health Center respects researchers and the scientific research work they carry out.
This statement seems to be quite sincere at first glance, but it seems that Mr. Zhang's students did not buy it, and bluntly said that when will they be able to return the various experimental materials and students' personal belongings placed in the laboratory?
In the picture, the student also asks when he will be able to resume his scientific research.
So, the question is, didn't the Shanghai Public Health Center state in a statement that it had provided a place for Mr. Zhang's team to work and experiment? Isn't the reality the same thing as the statement?
We may be able to get a glimpse of the truth from Zhang Yongzhen's response.
In the article, Zhang Yongzhen explained the statement of the Shanghai Public Health Center one by one, and also allowed the public who did not know the truth to clarify the contradictions.
1. On April 25, the Shanghai Public Health Center held an emergency meeting, announcing that the P3 laboratory needed to be upgraded, and forcing Zhang Yongzhen's team to move out within two days, but did not specify where to move.
2. Zhang Yongzhen's team members conveyed the team's opinions to the leaders of the hospital, but the hospital could not read them back.
3. After repeated inquiries from the team teacher, the hospital made it clear that it was to let Zhang Yongzhen's team move to another professor's laboratory first.
4. According to the standard, the relevant experiments of Zhang Yongzhen's team should be carried out in at least the P2 laboratory, but there is no P2 laboratory with conditional qualifications in the laboratory designated by the hospital to be relocated.
5. The Shanghai Public Health Center said that the relevant experimental materials and personnel had been properly arranged, but Zhang Yongzhen's team could not enter their laboratory to complete the unfinished experiments, and they could not even take out the laptops of the laboratory members.
6. It rained last night, but the Shanghai Public Health Center did not take into account the actual needs of Zhang Yongzhen's team and did not let them enter the office to hide from the rain.
After seeing the response, some netizens said bluntly: The sky in April is really chilling!
Subsequently, Fan Xiaohong, secretary of the Shanghai Public Health Center, responded: The agreement with Zhang Yongzhen's team was only signed until October 22, and the relationship is currently terminated.
Fan Xiaohong said that Zhang Yongzhen's team had been notified before, requesting the transfer of relevant materials.
Subsequently, Zhang Yongzhen responded again on the relevant platform:
- Although Zhang Yongzhen's agreement with the Shanghai Public Health Center has ended in 22 years, Chen Yanmei, a member of Zhang's team, continued to sign an agreement with the Shanghai Public Health Center as a representative. At the moment, the agreement is still in effect.
- The Shanghai Public Health Center previously responded to the statement mentioning that "Zhang Yongzhen's team was provided with another professor's office and experimental space", since the agreement has been terminated, why does the hospital not directly expel it, but instead provide office space?
- In the agreement signed with the Shanghai Public Health Center in 2018, Zhang Yongzhen's team overfulfilled the content of the agreement, but the annual scientific research funding of 3.5 million yuan in the agreement was provided, and the funds for two years were not paid, which was at least 7 million, and the thesis bonuses of relevant students were not settled.
- In September 2020, Zhang Yongzhen's work relationship was transferred to the Shanghai Public Health Center, but until now, the center has not completed his entry procedures, resulting in Zhang Yongzhen becoming de facto unemployed.
Some media interviewed Zhang Yongzhen and asked if there was any conflict with the Shanghai Public Health Center before this dispute.
Zhang Yongzhen's answer was: As early as May 2023, the center replaced Song Zhigang, the director of Zhang Yongzhen's P3 laboratory, and in June last year, without Zhang Yongzhen's knowledge, he threw away all Zhang's personal belongings in the office without authorization.
Zhang Yongzhen added that in fact, the cooperation with the Shanghai Public Health Center was very pleasant at the beginning, but then the center changed the person in charge, and everything went further and further from the beginning.
Now both sides are holding their own words, and both sides feel that they are in possession. Now this matter is still fermenting, and it is not known what irreconcilable contradictions there may be.
Hu Xijin, a veteran media person, also said that on the surface, this incident showed that the Shanghai Public Health Center forcibly closed the laboratory, but in fact, the contradictions between the two sides may have appeared before this. Otherwise, why would there be such a thing as a well-known expert laying directly outside the laboratory?
Hu Xijin also reminded everyone that he hopes to see the truth as soon as possible and dig deep into the relationship between the parties involved.
At present, the whole matter is still not finalized, but it is undeniable that this incident has not had a good impact on both the Shanghai Public Health Center and Zhang Yongzhen's team.
For the Shanghai Public Health Center, being involved in this kind of public opinion turmoil is undoubtedly not conducive to improving its own credibility, and there will even be some negative effects.
For Zhang Yongzhen's team, millions of scientific research funds have not been implemented, students' paper bonuses have not been issued as scheduled, and the follow-up laboratory has been directly closed, a large number of experimental data have been destroyed, and the team's hard work has been directly put into fire.
However, we also hope that this matter can be satisfactorily resolved, and it is best that the two sides can communicate effectively, and use this increase in time and heat as a breakthrough to allow the two sides to have a calm dialogue, so as not to chill the hearts of the majority of netizens, and also to give a shot of strength to the relevant people who are dedicated to scientific research, and to continue to contribute to the scientific research of the motherland in their own posts.