Yitang Zhang, a Chinese-American mathematician and professor at University of California, Santa Barbara since 2015, has decided to return to the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province as a full-time professor in 2025. His return to China has sparked wide discussion on the Internet, due to China’s long-term anti-U.S. propaganda that has fostered discrimination against overseas returnees.
People’s Daily summarized four common prejudices:
- “Picking the Fruit” Theory: Some believe returnees abandoned China during difficult times and are now coming back to enjoy the benefits, possibly past their prime.
- “Second-Tier Talent” Theory: Some see returnees as those who failed abroad and are now overvalued at home.
- “Studying Abroad is a Betrayal” Theory: Some view studying abroad as unpatriotic, regardless of whether one returns.
- “Local vs. Returnee” Theory: Some believe favoring returnees is unfair to domestic talents who have stayed in China and put in the hard work for so many years.
The article calls for more overseas talents to return and to contribute to China’s development.
Source: Beijing Daily, July 4, 2025
https://news.bjd.com.cn/2025/07/04/11221886.shtml