A prestigious Chinese university has dismissed a married professor after a graduate student publicly exposed their homosexual relationship through a detailed online presentation.
Graduate Student Exposes Relationship with Detailed Evidence
The Beijing Institute of Technology announced on 20 April 2025 that it had dismissed Gong Lin, vice-president of the university’s School of Mechanical Engineering and general manager of the university-affiliated Assets Management company.
The 46-year-old professor was also expelled from the Communist Party, with authorities reporting the case to the higher educational bureau to revoke his teaching qualification.
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The scandal emerged when Chang Xuqiang, 24, revealed the relationship on a video-sharing platform.
Chang showed his face and held his identity card while presenting a 104-page slide show containing screenshots of online chats, nude photos of Gong, and images of expensive gifts the professor had purchased for him.
Chang first met Gong in 2021 during an undergraduate class.
Gong immediately showed interest in the student, adding him on a chat app, showing extra care for his personal life, taking him to dinners, and involving him in research projects.
The professor even added Chang’s name to a conference paper his team produced.
During strict COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing, Gong borrowed medicine for Chang when he suffered from a toothache after Chang requested his help.
Chang alleged that Gong leaked postgraduate recommendation interview questions to him to maintain their close relationship.
In September 2022, Gong revealed his homosexuality to Chang, inquired about Chang’s sexual orientation, and professed his love for the student.
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Gong also registered another chat app account to secretly contact Chang, and used Chang’s painting as his profile photo.
Chang stated their relationship became sexual in 2023, with Gong regularly taking him to academic conferences to facilitate intimate encounters.
The student shared hundreds of screenshots of their conversations but claimed he was only playing along with his tutor.
Chat records showed Gong told Chang many times that he was his true love.
The professor promised to work hard to make money, support Chang’s PhD studies abroad, and later help him secure a teaching position at the university.
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Academic Misconduct Sparks Divided Public Opinion
Chang reported that Gong’s persistent advances caused him to develop depression and anxiety.
In January 2024, Chang began intentionally ignoring Gong’s messages to distance himself from the relationship.
Gong responded by sending Chang a lengthy love letter and even traveled from Beijing to Chang’s hometown in northeastern China’s Jilin province to pursue him.
Chang didn’t provide a reason for exposing the affair at this particular time. His postgraduate payslip indicated he was still working under Gong’s supervision in April.
Following the university’s announcement regarding Gong’s punishment, many online observers demanded that Chang also face consequences for improperly obtaining his postgraduate position.
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The university has not addressed these calls.
Divided Reactions
Social media reaction has been divided on which of the two men should be held accountable.
One commenter wrote: “The teacher was wrong, but you were also not innocent. You happily received his benefits and gifts and did not seem to me like a victim.”
Another observed: “Their chat records seem more like flirting than one forcing the other.”
A third commenter stated: “Both should be punished for harming other students’ interests and hurting Gong’s wife and children.”
While sexual relationships between university teachers and students are not criminalized in China, the Ministry of Education issued a code of conduct in 2018 that mandates dismissal for university teachers who sexually harass students.
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In its statement, the Beijing Institute of Technology emphasized its “zero tolerance” policy toward teacher misconduct and commitment to maintaining educational integrity.
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