4.3. Media Coverage
≪ 4.2. The Award of Exceptional Merit | Table of Contents | 4.4. Yunze's Reflection ≫(The following is translated from a news article from Sichuan News Chinese: 四川在线, pinyin: sì chuān zài xiàn. .)
Professor Liu Xiehe, Grandfather of Chinese Mental Health Legislature, Passes Away in Chengdu
At 3:19 PM on February 6, Professor Liu Xiehe — one of our country’s esteemed psychiatrists and a leading academic at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University’s Department of Mental Health — passed away peacefully at the very same hospital, aged 87.
Professor Liu Xiehe graduated from Hunan Medical School Chinese: 湖南医学院, pinyin: hú nán yī xué yuàn. This is a part of the Hunan University of Chinese Medicine. in 1955. That year, he started working at the Sichuan Medical School Chinese: 四川医学院, pinyin: sì chuān yī xué yuàn. (renamed to West China University of Medicine in 1985, and renamed again to the West China Clinical Medical College at the Sichuan University in 2000), where he served as a teaching assistant, lecturer, assistant professor, and professor. Other past positions include the director of teaching (1984-1987); director of psychiatric research (1985-1994); and director of mental health research (1995). Starting 1990, he served as an advisor for Ph. D. and Master’s students. He retired in August 2002, but he continued working as a full-time professor in the Department of Mental Health.
Professor Liu Xiehe was engaged in clinical practise, teaching, and research in the field of psychiatry, and he was dedicated to fostering talent in each area for over 60 years. He was a coauthor of the first two editions of the first advanced textbook on psychiatry, which was considered a national standard. Over his 60-year career, he coauthored 42 textbooks and reference books and over 300 scientific articles, of which over 70 were in English. He has advised 32 Master’s students, 23 Ph. D. students, and 2 postdoctoral students, 11 of which became doctors or professors at his university. Professor Liu Xiehe was the first Chinese doctor to find clinical applications of polysomnography. In recognition of these innovations, the Chinese Association of Doctors Chinese: 中国医师协会, pinyin: zhōng guó yī shī xiè hùi. awarded him with the first Outstanding Psychiatrist Award Chinese: 杰出精神科医师奖, pinyin: jié chū jīng shén kē yī shī jiǎng. , the Award of Lifetime Achievement in Applications of Sleep Science Chinese: 中国睡眠科学技术终身成就奖, pinyin: zhōng guó shùi mián kē xué jì shù zhōng shēn chéng jiù jiǎng. , and the Award for Exceptional Work in Psychiatry, among others.
(Pictured above: Professor Liu Xiehe attends the 2013 National Distinguished Lawmaker Award Ceremony. On the right is the award presenter and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Ji Bingxuan.)
In 1986, the West China Medical College established the Department of Medical Law, wherein Professor Liu Xiehe created the nation’s first research and teaching institute for mental health legislature. He was the director of the institution from 1986-1999, and he advised 5 Ph. D. students and 13 Master’s students. He was the editor-in-chief for the first two editions of The Law of Psychiatry Chinese: 《法医精神科学》, pinyin: fǎ yī jīng shén kē xué , which was commissioned by the National Education Commission, published in 1997 and 2004 by the Public Health Publishers Chinese: 人民卫生出版社, pinyin: rén mín wèi shēng chū bǎn shè. , and the Ministry of Education recognised it as the second-best nation-wide pedagogical achievement in 2009. Over the course of 30 years, he attended over 3,000 legal cases involving psychiatric health. Not only did he resolve many difficult cases, but he also identified and overturned several wrongful rulings, earning him a level of recognition and authority within the field of law. Finally, over the course of 14 years, he drafted multiple revisions of the People's Republic of China Bill of Public Mental Health Chinese: 中华人民共和国精神卫生法, pinyin: zhōng huá rén mín gòng hé guó jīng shén wèi shēng fǎ. The bill is available online, though no English translation is available. . This can be considered to be his life’s work, and in 2013, it earned him recognition as one of the most important lawmakers in China.
I interviewed Professor Liu Xiehe a very long time ago, and my deepest impression came from a horrific serial killing in Shaanxi Chinese: 陕西, a province in China. . I remember during that year, I received a phone call from an elderly gentleman early in the morning. He described the family history of the suspect, the personal medical history, and the behaviour surrounding the murders, leading him to conclude that the suspect suffered from a mental illness. He requested an interview and called for a psychiatric examination of the suspect. I remember telling him after the interview, “You’re going to get berated if you keep going.” He shook a full head of silvery hair: “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter how severe the crime was, every person deserves the full legal process.” The next day, the story had the entire front page in the papers. As expected, there were enough violent criticisms and insults to cover the heavens and the earth. I was worried that the old gentleman couldn’t take it, and I went out of my way to check on him. He gave me a thin smile and replied, “It’s okay, I got used to it ages ago.” I watched his thin yet resilient and solitary silhouette walk away. In that moment, he looked like a lonesome pine standing tall against the wind.
(Author: Yang Dan Chinese: 杨丹 .)
Translator's Note 1.
The anecdote in the end appears to refer to Long Zhimin, a serial killer who was active in Shaanxi around 1983-1985. He claimed the lives of 48 victims. I found a Chinese article describing the killings. Long Zhimin did get a psychiatric evaluation and an interview, but he was not found to have any underlying mental conditions. Rather, officials deemed him to have above-average intelligence. However, at the end of the day, I'm unsure if this is the same serial killer the author was referring to.