29-year-old Chinese man, with 4 doctorates and several master’s degrees, investigated for dubious credentials

A young Chinese man surprised the continent’s social media with his notable academic achievements, which include two post-doctorates, four doctorates, four master’s degrees and more than 20 participations in academic organizations.

Zhao Zijian, 29, sparked intense public debate after the National Institute of Culture and Art of Inner Mongolia announced his appointment as a researcher and shared his incredible academic credentials.

Zhao said he earned doctorates in theater arts, psychology, education and biblical studies. He specifically mentioned two institutions where he completed his doctoral studies: a “Catholic university” in South Korea and the University of the Philippines High School, a private school.

He also claimed to hold several master’s degrees in communications, Buddhist studies and mindfulness studies from the University of Hong Kong, the Baptist University and the University of Zaragoza, and the Miguel de Cervantes European University in Spain.

In addition to his degrees, Zhao has 22 members in various academic societies, covering diverse fields such as economics and medicine, and has published 24 “high-level” academic articles, aggregating an impact factor of “28+” – a metric that indicates how articles were often cited in a particular year.

Many people questioned Zhao’s academic credentials as being “against common sense” as most doctorates typically take at least four years to complete.