Yue Xin: An Open Letter to Peking University Students and the School of Foreign Languages#
Teachers and fellow students of Peking University,
Hello! I am Yue Xin, a student from the School of Foreign Languages, class of 2014. I am writing this letter to explain some recent events that have happened to me.
Part One#
After April 9th, I have been continuously interviewed by the school's student affairs teachers and leaders, lasting until one or even two in the morning. During the conversations, the student affairs teachers repeatedly mentioned "whether I can graduate smoothly," "how would your mother and grandmother view this," and "student affairs teachers have the right to contact your parents without going through you." I am currently preparing my graduation thesis, and the frequent disturbances and subsequent psychological pressure have seriously affected my thesis writing.
Part Two#
On the afternoon of April 20th, I received a reply from the school. The secretary of the School of Foreign Languages Party Committee, student affairs teachers, and my class teacher were present. The secretary of the Party Committee read out the school's response to this information disclosure request:
- The meeting level discussing Shen Yang's moral character was not recorded.
- The investigation results from the Public Security Bureau are not within the school's jurisdiction.
- The content of Shen Yang's public self-criticism was not found due to mistakes made by the Chinese Department.
I am disappointed with this reply. However, the deadline for submitting my graduation thesis is approaching, so I can only focus on my thesis writing for now.
Part Three#
Around 11 PM on April 22nd, my counselor suddenly called me, but I did not answer because it was already late. At one in the morning, my counselor and mother suddenly came to my dormitory, forcibly waking me up, demanding that I delete all materials related to the information disclosure incident from my phone and computer, and make a written guarantee to the student affairs teachers after daybreak that I will no longer be involved in this matter. Fellow students on the same floor can testify to this. Afterwards, my parents took me back home, and I am currently unable to return to school.
Both my mother and I stayed up all night. The school distorted the facts when contacting my mother, causing her to be excessively frightened and emotionally broken. Because of the school's unreasonable and forceful intervention, my relationship with my mother has almost broken down. The actions of the school have crossed the bottom line, and I feel both fear and anger.
What crime is there in applying for information disclosure? I have not done anything wrong, and I will not regret submitting the "Information Disclosure Application Form" and exercising my honorable rights as a Peking University student.
Twenty years of deep affection, I love my mother. Faced with her wailing, self-slapping, kneeling requests, and threats of suicide, my heart is bleeding. Under her plea, I can only temporarily return home, but there is no retreat in the face of principles. Compromise cannot solve any problems. I have no other choice but to write this statement and state the facts.
Emotionally agitated, please forgive my incoherent words.
Part Four#
Hereby, I formally present the following demands to the School of Foreign Languages at Peking University:
- The School of Foreign Languages at Peking University should publicly provide a written explanation of the rules and regulations on which they based their actions of pressuring my parents, forcibly interviewing me in the early morning at my dormitory, and demanding that I delete all materials related to the information disclosure request. They should clearly state any illegal or irregular operations during this process and take measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
- The School of Foreign Languages at Peking University should immediately cease all pressure on my family members, formally apologize to my mother who has already been frightened, clarify the facts, and help repair the tense relationship within my family caused by this incident.
- The School of Foreign Languages at Peking University must provide a written guarantee that this incident will not affect my graduation and will not continue to interfere with the progress of my thesis writing.
- The School of Foreign Languages at Peking University is responsible for eliminating any negative impact this incident may have on my academic studies, future employment, and my family.
- The School of Foreign Languages at Peking University should provide a public written response to the above demands, giving everyone who is concerned about this matter an explanation.
I will retain all rights to further pursue the responsibilities of individuals and organizations involved through legal means, including but not limited to reporting the serious violation of school discipline by the School of Foreign Languages to Peking University and higher authorities.
Yue Xin, undergraduate student from the School of Foreign Languages at Peking University, class of 2014
April 23, 2018