Chinese students participating in the Gaokao exam. (Photo by Getty Images)
[People News] An undergraduate student at China’s Northwest University was recently expelled after repeatedly expressing views in class that denied Marxism and the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The disciplinary decision circulated within the university, drawing concern in academic circles over the CCP’s tightening ideological boundaries in higher education.
According to a report by The Epoch Times, a 2023 cohort undergraduate student in the School of Physics at Northwest University was expelled after four classmates reported him for making statements denying the CCP’s legitimacy to rule. According to the university’s disciplinary decision document circulating online, the student had been placed on probation in 2024 for stating in a political theory class that he “does not believe in Marxism” and “does not support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.” During the probation period, he continued expressing similar positions in course QQ groups and in class.
On September 16 of this year, during a class on “An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” the student debated the teacher on the topic “The relationship between the communist ideal and national rejuvenation,” openly asserting “there is no relationship,” and “without communism, the nation can still be rejuvenated.” The disciplinary document also shows that the student stated in class: “If the Communist Party collapses, you teachers in the Marxism Institute will all have to set up street stalls outside the South Gate to support your families.”
In a meeting on November 21, the Northwest University Student Disciplinary Committee found that the student’s actions “openly violated the Four Cardinal Principles established by the Constitution” and “seriously disrupted classroom teaching order.” The committee ultimately decided to expel him. The university has not released information publicly nor responded to reporters’ requests for comment.
In response, several scholars interviewed in Xi’an, Chongqing, and other places said that in class, when students and teachers discuss Marxism and CCP history, it is not inappropriate for students to express personal positions or emotional remarks.
Mr. Xu, a retired reporter from Shaanxi TV, told the reporter: “The authorities don’t need to make a big deal out of a student and blow it out of proportion.”
A Chongqing lawyer surnamed Fang (pseudonym) told the reporter that although the student’s remarks had an anti-CCP tone, “from a legal standpoint, expressing disbelief in a certain ideology (Marxism) is not illegal. In the past two years, many universities have established Marxism institutes precisely to strengthen ideology.”
Mr. Wang, a teacher at Chongqing Normal University, said in an interview that in recent years, cases of students reporting teachers and reporting one another have become widespread on campuses, making people feel like they are returning to the Cultural Revolution era. He said: “Our school once had a professor, Tang Yun. In February 2019, at the start of a new semester, Tang Yun expressed personal viewpoints in class, was reported by students, and ended up stripped of his teaching qualifications and demoted. After Tang Yun retired, I heard cameras were installed at his door to continue monitoring him.”
Although it is not the first time universities have disciplined students, expulsion for publicly expressing political views remains rare. Discussion of this incident on social media has been limited, with most related posts deleted shortly after being published. △
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