About 250 people gathered at a funeral parlour yesterday to bid farewell to He Yong, a young mathematics professor at Zhejiang University who died of liver cancer, a result of overwork many believe, on Friday in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province. He was just 36 years old.

The premature death of He has this week aroused much nationwide sympathy, as once again people's attention is drawn to the health of the country's academics.

"He was simply exhausted," said Liu Kefeng, dean of the university's Mathematics Department. "I feel so sorry that we have lost such a promising young man."

"Instructing students, conducting research, giving lectures, engaging in academic exchanges ... he had too many things to do," said Yao Yu'en, one of He's colleagues.

"He was a talented man," Hu Jianmiao, vice-president of Zhejiang University, said at the funeral.

He, born in East China's Anhui Province in 1969, became a doctoral tutor in his field at the age of 33, the youngest doctoral tutor at the university.

"I could not believe it was true when I heard that he had passed away. He is the best teacher I have ever had, even though he only taught me for a year," said Wang Qin, a senior student from Zhejiang University, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Young and middle-aged academics in China shoulder more responsibility and pressure because of peer competition and heavy workloads. Their burden is much heavier than that of foreign counterparts," said Liu Kefeng.

"Can we change this scenario and provide them with a more relaxed research environment?" Liu asked.

Earlier this year, two young faculty members at Tsinghua University died due to exhaustion and stress.

Meanwhile, the outcome of a recent survey on the health of academics, released by the Shanghai Municipal Academy of Social Sciences, showed that the average life expectancy of academics in Beijing dropped to a frightening 53 from 59 a decade ago. The average life span for a Beijing resident is 76.

Several other cases of early deaths among academics were reported in the first half of this year, including the death of 32-year-old Xiao Liangzhong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and that of 36-year-old Jiao Lianwei from Tsinghua University.

Experts suggest improved health care for the young and middle-aged academics is urgently needed.

"The standard annual physical checkups are not enough to prevent some hidden diseases that may be fatal by the time they become obvious," said Fu Jingquan, a internist in Hangzhou.

"Many university teachers in China are overworked," said Yang Kaizhong, a professor with Peking University.

According to Yao Enyu, a former colleague of He, He Yong had made significant breakthroughs in the course of his mathematics research.

"He won the INFORMS Prize in 1999 and 2003, the only person in Asia to win this world-renowned prize twice. The team under his instruction also won many prizes in international competitions," Yao said.

In addition to tutoring 20 postgraduate students and eight doctorate candidates, He Yong also led several research projects and frequently took part in academic seminars.

His wife said he never accompanied her for walks after supper because he simply had too little time.

(China Daily August 10, 2005)