Murder of Chen Shijun

External video
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSZv6Ito2pQ Self-introduction video of the suspect

According to his self-introduction video, the suspect was born in the 1960s, from Los Angeles, USA. He received an associate degree in human resources from the University of Phoenix. Before coming to China, he was a salesman selling mobile phones and other communication equipment.[10] He was married to a Chinese woman and has a son. He was divorced before the incident. The suspect once showed on social media that his contract was expired in 2019. He had screenshots of the chat with Lily Liu (劉林林), the director of International Exchange College (IEC), Ningbo University of Technology, about the contract renewal In the conversation, Lily Liu insisted to let the suspect stay(他必須留下來). After this incident, Ningbo University of Technology was accused of indulging in allowing foreign teachers' misconduct behaviors. Lily Liu published an article titled "Exploration of Management of Foreign Teachers in Universities from the Perspective of Cross-Cultural Exchange" 《跨文化交際視角下高校外教管理探索》in 2014, which claimed that if foreign teachers asked girls about the color of their underwear is not sexual harassment, but cultural differences between China and the West.[11]

This murder case has triggered a heated discussion on the Chinese internet.[5]

After the incident, the victim's family offered to go to the school to retrieve the victim's belongings, but the school refused. They said that this would be a "bad influence for the school." On June 18, the family members went to the school but stoped by the school and the police. The school said that "the incident happened outside the school and has nothing to do with the us." In addition, the Ningbo University of Technology is suspected of conducting online censorship with the officials, removing messages posted by family members on Sina Weibo. Some comments and videos related to this murder case on Chinese internet were also been removed.[12]

On June 18, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Party-owned tabloid Global Times Hu Xijin said on Weibo that "The public opinion should avoid focusing on the criminal suspect’s nationality and skin color, as this may cause international backlash.[13]

On July 23, 2021, the investigation of the homicide was completed and transferred it to the Ningbo People's Procuratorate. On August 20, the Ningbo People's Procuratorate filed an indictment against the perpetrator to the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court for the crime of intentional homicide. The prosecutor said that the evidence is sufficient and the suspect would be hold accountable.[9] On November 25, the case was heard by Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo. During the trial at the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court, both the public prosecution department and the defense counsel presented evidence and the court hired an interpreter for the defendant. The officials from the US Consulate General in Shanghai attended the hearing. At the end of the trial, the court announced an adjournment and the verdict will be announced at a later date.[14][15][16]

On June 21, General Secretary Xi Jinping wrote an open letter to 45 foreign students from Peking University, praising them for "willing to learn more about China and the history of the Communist Party", welcome and encourage them to "travel around China more." This letter provoked more dissatisfaction among Chinese people.[4]

• Shen Chong case
• Nanjing anti-African protests
• Controversy over study buddies for international students in China
• Africans in Guangzhou

• Anti-Black Racism in Post-Mao China, Sautman, Barry, 1994