Wang Mingming, professor with the Sociology Department of Peking University, one of China's most prestigious institutions of higher learning, was deprived of his academic posts because of serious plagiary.

In his book Imaginary Alien Nation published in 1998, Wang included whole sections lifted from a book written by a US anthropologist William A. Haviland. This was disclosed in a social sciences journal by Wang Xiaosheng, a student working for a doctorate at a university in Beijing.

According to Wang Xiaosheng, 100,000 words in the professor's book were copied straight from the book of Haviland, which had been partially translated by the professor 11 years ago. The professor did not give any acknowledgment to the US author in his book.

Wang Mingming was formerly director of both the university's folklore study center and teaching and research section on anthropology.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2002)