China News Service, Dongguan, April 3: I am not a detective, just an ordinary scientist
——Exclusive interview with Li Changyu, an internationally renowned expert in criminal investigation and forensics
China News Service reporter Fang Weibin
The 86-year-old Chinese "Super Detective" Li Changyu is still in good spirits, and his speech is logical, clear and well-organized, but also humorous. Recently, he has traveled all over China: attending the opening ceremony of the second phase of the Li Changyu Criminal Investigation Science Museum in Rugao, Jiangsu, teaching students at Xinhua College in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and attending the third "Overseas Chinese Love Night" charity gala held in Shanghai.
After serving in the police for more than sixty years, he is still contributing to the exchange and development of forensic science between the East and the West. When teaching students, wonderful cases were shared one after another, attracting many young students.
As a well-known criminal forensics expert at home and abroad, Li Changyu recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" and said that he is not a "magic detective" but an ordinary scientist. He also encouraged young people to study forensic science.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service Reporter: What impact has your Chinese background had on your entire career?
Li Changyu:
This is a very good question and a difficult one to answer. In the West, due to misinformation and misinformation from the media and the general public, many Westerners believe that the only contribution of the Chinese to the United States was to build railroads, open laundries, and restaurants in the 18th century. Especially in recent years, Chinese people have been suppressed due to the influence of social media. In fact, there are many outstanding Chinese in all walks of life in the United States, and they have made great contributions to the United States and even the world.
Li Changyu. Photo by Chen Jimin
In the past, those who worked in forensic science were white, mostly male. When I first applied to join the American Society of Forensic Sciences, they refused to accept me as a member because they thought I was a person of color, but they kept that in mind. In situations like this, most Chinese people swallow their anger, but I wrote a letter and asked the American Society for Forensic Science, hoping to get a reasonable explanation.
The American Society of Forensic Science stated in its response that the reason why I was not accepted was that part of my educational experience was completed outside the United States. At that time, I suggested that their charter be changed so that only white people could participate. Later, they gave me a provisional membership and three years later gave me the highest honor.
Li Changyu gave a speech at Xinhua College in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Photo by Chen Jimin
I will be invited back to give a speech at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Forensic Science Society. When I spoke at the meeting, I mentioned that in the past few decades, the Society has continued to improve on the issue of equality for everyone. I hope that the world will be more peaceful and integrated in the future. The whole world is one big country, we are all human beings, and everyone should be treated equally.
China News Service Reporter: You have cracked more than 8,000 cases in your career. Which case is the most impressive to you today?
Li Changyu:
First of all, this is misleading. No case can be solved by one person, it requires a team. There are several factors involved in solving a crime. In addition to forensic science, it also requires the support of criminal police and the general public, and even the use of large database assistance and artificial intelligence technology. It cannot be done by one person. Sometimes the media's descriptions are too exaggerated. I am not a detective, Sherlock Holmes, or Bao Qingtian. I am just an ordinary scientist working hard with everyone.
Li Changyu gave a speech at Xinhua College in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Photo by Chen Jimin
Speaking of cases, the assassination of President Kennedy, the case of American football star Simpson killing his wife, the case of Bill Clinton... Although these cases have attracted much attention due to their celebrity effect, what impressed me most was the case of the murder of an old lady living alone. This is a typical case, and we speak for the deceased.
The day of the incident was Thanksgiving. The neighbor felt sympathy for the old lady who lived alone, but discovered the body while delivering food. The old lady was stabbed 17 times. There should be a lot of blood at the scene, but the criminal police at the scene did not find it.
We used scientific methods to detect blood on the floor and also found shoe prints. At that time, big data technology had not yet been used, and more than 200 criminal police officers searched the trash can for shoes at the crime scene that night. In the shopping mall near the trash can, we found the suspect who used the card to buy shoes, who was the nephew of the murdered old lady. He killed the old lady after failing to ask for money because of drug abuse.
In the United States, there is no reward for solving a crime, and we did not hold a celebration that day, but we did speak for those who could not speak, put people's lives first, and sought truth from facts.
Reporter from China News Service: Is there anything that Eastern and Western cultures can learn from each other in forensic science?
Li Changyu:
There are differences between the East and the West due to differences in culture and systems, but the foundation of civilization for all mankind is the same. Taking learning methods as an example, Chinese people are good at memorizing and reciting, while Westerners are good at thinking. When many Chinese students first came to study in the United States, they did not adapt due to cultural differences, but they can try to communicate more.
Li Changyu teaches students at Xinhua College in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Photo by Chen Jimin
Chinese traditional culture has inspired me a lot in my life. I use the word "sincerity" to describe it, which involves all aspects of treating people and doing things. Western culture also inspires me a lot. It doesn’t stick to conventions and makes the impossible possible.
The differences between Eastern and Western cultures also help solve crimes. For example, in one case, fried chicken was found at the crime scene, and the police determined who ate it based on the parts of the chicken breasts and legs that were eaten. I also made a joke at the time: Chinese people like to eat chicken legs, but the fried chicken drumsticks left at the scene of the crime had not been touched.
Chinese culture is inclusive, and this cultural trait also affects my behavior when handling cases. In the process of communicating with Westerners at the crime scene, you can guide them in a more peaceful and tactful way, so that they can realize their shortcomings in forensics and continuously improve their forensic abilities.
China News Service reporter: Past reports said that your mother was a great woman and all 13 of her children became Ph.D.s. What advice do you have for Chinese students who plan to study abroad in the future?
Li Changyu:
My mother is a great woman and I am in awe of her. But I have to make a slight correction. Not every one of the 13 children she raised is a Ph.D. Each of my brothers and sisters received their final degrees in their respective majors.
Many social media said that my mother washed clothes and worked as a maid in other people's homes, but even the photos distributed were not of her. Including recently, there have been a lot of misinformation, saying that I will be imprisoned for many years, and that I will be fined tens of millions of dollars, etc. There is no such thing at all, but many famous speakers, experts and scholars have misled young people in order to gain publicity.
In 2005, Li Changyu returned to his hometown of Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, to unveil a statue of his late mother, Ms. Li Wanganfo, a 100-year-old Chinese American living in the United States. Photo by Wu Shujian
To cultivate children's correct concepts, I have always believed that professional ethics is very important. To do forensic science, you must have professional ethics and talk about what is required. I have been doing forensic science for 65 years. If something goes wrong during the forensic process, it is irreversible. Every case must be honest and abide by the ethics of forensic science. When children study abroad, it is important to be honest and trustworthy.
China News Service reporter: How can young people become an excellent forensic expert?
Li Changyu:
Forensic science is not a job to please others. Criminal suspects who cannot stand in the face of evidence will often attack forensic personnel and deny the evidence seized by forensic personnel.
If a case occurs on the campus where I teach this time, and I find your (reporter) fingerprints, and I say that you may be related to this case, you will never like me, and your family cannot send a flower, and I also say "Dr. Li, thank you for finding my child's fingerprints." Your family must have said that the clues I found were false.
In 2005, Li Changyu returned to his hometown of Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, to unveil a statue of his late mother, Ms. Li Wanganfo, a 100-year-old Chinese American living in the United States. Photo by Wu Shujian
In the process of handling a case, if I am an expert for the prosecution, the defense will attack me. If I am a witness for the defense, the prosecution will attack me. Therefore, we must not please any party, and we can say as much as we have evidence. It is impossible to help the police without evidence. On the contrary, the police often have to let people go because there is insufficient evidence, so the police sometimes have problems with us.
China News Service reporter: Do you know China’s traditional criminal investigation techniques? Does it still have any reference significance today?
Li Changyu:
In fact, whether Bao Qingtian or Da Song Ti Xinguan, they are using scientific methods to solve cases. I have read China's first forensic book, written by Song Ci, a famous forensic scientist in the Southern Song Dynasty. In the past, overseas people believed that forensic science originated in the United Kingdom or Austria, but we found that Song Ci's "The Collection of Cleansing of Wrongs" is the earliest forensic work in the world.
At present, China's public security has established an identification center, and criminal investigation science has made great progress. I have been teaching and serving as a consultant in China in the past few years, and I have found that China's forensic science has made great progress and is fully in line with international standards. Some parts have even exceeded world standards. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Photo by Chen Jimin
Li Changyu, an internationally renowned expert in criminal investigation and forensics, was born in Rugao, Jiangsu, China, and is a Chinese-American. In July 1998, he served as Director of the Connecticut Police Department, becoming the first Chinese state-level police chief in the United States. Li Changyu has examined many major cases, such as the assassination of President Kennedy, Nixon's "Watergate Incident", Clinton's love affair case, etc.