Chinese lecturer suspended from teaching over views on polygamy

Jun 13, 2021

Beijing [China], June 14 : A lecturer from a top Chinese law school has been suspended from teaching after he argued in favour of allowing polygamy, a practice of having multiple spouses, for some intellectuals.
Bao Yinan, an associate professor of international law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, wrote on his WeChat Moments - a social media platform restricted to friends - that teachers at Chinese colleges and universities should be given "special treatment" in marriage and as well as lifelong allowances.
But his comments on polygamy in the private channel were leaked to public platforms, prompting a backlash.
The teachers work unit under the university's Communist Party committee issued a statement over the weekend, saying Bao had been removed from all teaching duties for "publishing wrong views online".
The statement said the school would take further unspecified action against Bao.
Chinese authorities have tightened control of views that are not in line with official policies or positions.
Bao's comments were initially made about an article on a ruthlessly competitive tenure system for young lecturers at Chinese universities, where only a small percentage of young teachers get tenured jobs.
It was part of his argument for better treatment for younger university workers - an issue brought to the fore when a 39-year-old mathematics teacher at Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University killed a Communist Party official after learning that he was about to lose his teaching job.