Contradicts common sense: a young man with 4 scientific degrees was called a charlatan (2 photos)

The 29-year-old scholar said he holds degrees in performing arts, psychology, education, and biblical studies, as well as four master's degrees.





Zhao Zijian, 29, from China, has wowed social media with his impressive academic credentials, including four PhDs, four master's degrees, and more than 20 academic memberships, including in economics and medicine.

The debate over the authenticity of Zhao's academic credentials has been revived after he was appointed as a research fellow at the National Research Institute for Culture and Art of Mongolia.

Zhao claimed to have degrees in performing arts, psychology, education and biblical studies, as well as master's degrees from the University of Hong Kong, Baptist University, the University of Zaragoza and the European University Miguel de Cervantes in Spain. He also allegedly published 24 scientific papers with a combined impact factor of "28+".

People questioned the Chinese man's title as "unreasonable" since it typically takes at least four years to earn a PhD.



Investigation launched

The National Institute of Culture and Art said it had suspended cooperation with Zhao and launched an investigation into his academic qualifications.

Later, Yin Fujun, the head of the institution, said that "no obvious forgery" had been found and confirmed that all four of the man's master's degrees had passed the official verification by the China Service Center for Scientific Exchanges (CSCSE). However, only one of Zhao's doctorates has been verified so far. The others still need to be verified.

Yin Fujun noted that Mr. Zijian met their requirements for a research fellow and expressed regret for the trouble he had caused. The defendant himself did not respond to the dispute.