Text/AI Finance & Economics Li Shiyun
Editor/Beam Night
The departure of "net red" professor Xue Zhaofeng from the National Development Institute of Peking University has recently become a hot topic. The head of media relations of the North China Development Institute told AI Finance and Economics that Xue Zhaofeng has indeed left the National Development Institute, "he personally proposed the departure, taking into account personal development issues", and other details the person in charge said it was inconvenient to disclose. Xue Zhaofeng declined the interview request of AI Finance and Economics.
Since opening a column entitled "Xue Zhaofeng's Peking University Economics Class" on the knowledge service app "Get" in November 2017, the Peking University professor has received more than 250,000 user subscriptions. According to the price of 199 yuan per share, the revenue he brings to the platform is 49.75 million. But at the same time, he has also been on the cusp of the storm.
(Xue Zhaofeng's "Get" column)
First, on December 25, Tang Fangfang, a professor who is also a professor at the Peking University Development Institute, posted on his personal WeChat public account "Sunshine Reason" "Is Mr. Xue Zhaofeng a professor at Peking University?" He publicly questioned Xue Zhaofeng's academic level, believing that Xue Zhaofeng had falsified his identity as a professor at Peking University, abused his title, and misled users.
In the "Peking University Career Establishment Personnel Assessment Directory" presented by Tang Fangfang, there is no name of "Xue Zhaofeng". Subsequently, Xue Zhaofeng was not a professor at Peking University to cause discussion.
However, the Beijing News pointed out that Peking University professors have professors who belong to the career establishment, and there are also professors hired by the college, etc. "Xue Zhaofeng is not a formal career establishment professor, but a professor hired by the college." Xue Zhaofeng's entry into the National Development Institute of Peking University was introduced by the then dean Zhou Qiren, and belonged to The Langrun Garden (the National Development Research Institute of Peking University, the Chinese Economic Research Center), that is, the institute. When Xue Zhaofeng was introduced, Professor Wang Dingding of Langrunyuan also gave full support.
After being questioned, Xue Zhaofeng canceled the words Peking University for sale on the platform.
But on February 9, 2018, Xue Zhaofeng's former "Bole" and professor Wang Dingding, who is also a professor at the Peking University Development Institute, also came to his opposite side. Wang Dingding wrote the article "Why can only pay for third-rate knowledge?" Criticizing the payment of knowledge, arguing that "knowledge that can be exchanged with money and power must be third-rate, because the way of expression cannot continue to be faithful to the feeling of importance that only first-rate knowledge can express." First-class knowledge can only be free, and that's because it only appeals to a few people who can understand it. ”
Subsequently, Xue Zhaofeng responded by writing "The Value of Knowledge Has Nothing to Do with Payment or Not", saying that "indeed, there are some scholars who think that knowledge is naturally divided into three, six, nine, and so on. However, from the perspective of the knowledge system explained in our column, the depth and importance of knowledge are oriented to understanding practical problems and taking the solution of practical problems as the criterion. No knowledge is inherently superior. ”
This triggered a new round of counterattack by Wang Dingding. On February 18, he criticized Xue Zhaofeng in the circle of friends, "trying to summarize economic theory from everyday spoken language, four overviews, and to put it politely, at least three things wrong." And it makes economists feel that this text was written by an economics student who did not graduate at all. ”
(Screenshot of Wang Dingding's circle of friends)
Xue Zhaofeng's professionalism has become the focus of controversy.
He graduated from Shenzhen University in 1991, studied in the Department of Economics at George Mason University from 2003 to 2008, received a doctorate degree in economics, and entered the National Development Institute of Peking University in 2010. But in the face of harsh criticism from peers, this seems to be a difficult thing to say clearly.
Xue Zhaofeng has always been the focus of public opinion in the field of economics. In the early years, he taught himself the economics of Zhang Wuchang and used the knowledge he learned to publish articles on the Internet and newspapers, which can be said to be the earliest batch of netizens in China. His views of "raising the price of train tickets to solve the Spring Festival" and "free is the most expensive" are the voices that cannot be ignored in the tide of reopening. He has also spoken on public events many times, such as ride-hailing and monopolies, and has many online fans.
The two scolding battles once again strengthened Xue Zhaofeng's image as an "internet celebrity" professor. For this title, the head of media relations of the National Development Institute believes that "the teacher is the teacher, the professor is the professor", as for Xue Zhaofeng's class on "getting", "the teacher is willing to open, (the reader) is willing to listen, the market economy." ”
For the dispute between teachers, the person in charge said, "Different views are different, the National Development Institute is a place of contention, and we often organize debates for teachers." ”
Of the 33 people who "got" the column, 5 had the same professional status as Xue Zhaofeng as a professor at the academy. For example, Fu Peirong, head of the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, dr. Dr. Lee, professor of the Department of Psychology at Peking University. Wei, Ning Xiangdong, professor of the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Strategy, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, etc. But they didn't cause much controversy.
This makes people feel sorry for the experience of this "internet celebrity" professor who voluntarily left the class for 4 months. It is reported that at present, Xue Zhaofeng is still going through the resignation procedures, and the official website of the North China Development Institute has not yet withdrawn the relevant information of Xue Zhaofeng.
(Introduction of Xue Zhaofeng on the official website of the North China Development Institute)
Xue Zhaofeng said in an interview with the self-media that "the house in Beijing cannot afford to buy", and now he regrets accepting the interview, it seems that the "internet celebrity" professor also feels that "people are not popular".