Document: Suzhou University Calls on Fu Ping to Retract her Lies

After the initial official statement disputing Fu Ping's claims, Suzhou (Soochow) University issued a followup today, calling for Fu Ping to retract her lies. The school states that they had been trying to contact Fu Ping for clarification but was unsuccessful and is now ready to have public dialog with her and/or her publishers, as well as potential lawsuits.

苏州大学关于傅苹造假事件的第二份官方声明 

自6月11日苏州大学发布关于傅苹的官方声明后，已经引起了各界的广泛关注，许多媒体和广大校友纷纷来电询问学校下一步如何妥善处理此事，多家媒体强烈要求来学校进行专门采访。其实自傅苹造假风波产生以来，我们一直在试图与傅苹本人联系，希望她正视各方提出的合理的批评意见，用适当方式收回她在回忆录中的谎言，还苏州大学及在其书中伤害过的人们一个清白和公正，这也是苏州大学对曾经在校学习过的校友的爱护之意。可是傅苹本人却置之不理，并在后来的演讲和采访中继续说谎，这已经激起了苏州大学校友和在校师生的共愤，激起了许多有良知的中外人士的共愤。在此情形下，苏州大学不得不采取相应措施，发表了第一份官方声明，以正视听。 

第一份官方声明发表后，各界反响非常强烈，现在为回应各界要求，同时也考虑到事态紧急，苏州大学现发表第二份官方声明，内容如下： 

1、学校本可在第一份官方声明的同时出具相关证据，因涉及傅萍个人在苏州大学的学习和生活记录，暂时不便公开发布，但可以随时接受媒体和有关人士的采访，并在认为有必要时公开发布相关材料。傅苹当时在苏州大学的辅导员老师和有关师生也可以直接接受采访。我们欢迎中外媒体前来苏州大学采访。 

2、诚恳希望傅苹能够勇敢地站出来公开应对苏州大学第一份官方声明所列事实，同时公布她宣称所获苏州大学本科和硕士的相关学历和学位证书，如果不肯应对，且无法提供上述文件，那就必须收回自己所说的谎言。 

3、苏州大学愿意在有关中外媒体参加，包括她的出版商和关心此事的各方人士均可参加的场合与傅苹进行直接公开对话，以便澄清真相。 希望傅苹能够响应这样的要求，尽快与我们联系确定对话的时间和地点。联系方式为：
Email:szu-whf@suda.edu.cn Tel:0086-512-6522-0971 

4、如果傅苹不能够回应苏州大学的上述要求，苏州大学已经在起草律师函件，律师函将直接寄达傅苹本人，要求她对损害苏州大学名誉的行为进行公开道歉和必要的赔偿。同时苏州大学将在中美两国的报纸和网站上发布致傅苹的公开信，要求傅苹撤回自己的谎言并道歉。如果傅苹拒不理睬上述要求，苏州大学将在中国和美国两国对傅苹提起法律诉讼。 

5、美国图书馆协会（ALA）2013年年会将于6月29日邀请傅苹在大会上发表演讲并将向全美国12万家公共图书馆推荐那本充满谎言的自传。虽然ALA是可以自由发言和讨论的场所，但决不是可以让谎言作者自由地让谎言变成真理的地方，即使在美国这也是不能允许的。为免毒害美国青年一代和对全世界产生恶劣影响，苏州大学强烈呼吁ALA取消对傅苹的邀请，不予推荐她的书。如若真的发生上述事件，我校将向ALA发出严重抗议，并立刻公布傅苹造假的全部证据。 

特此郑重声明，敬请各方关注！ 

苏州大学
2013年6月14日

The Second Official Statement regarding Ping Fu’s Deceptive Behavior

Since the release of our First Official Statement dated June 11 regarding Ping Fu’s deceptive statements in her publication about Soochow University, many have expressed interest in, and perhaps concern over, the issue, and some of the media and our alumni have written to enquire about our following moves. A number of individuals from the press have called up for interviews. We must say that, since the incident began, we have been trying to contact Ping Fu (a former undergraduate student who dropped out from our University) to inform her of our hope that she should face up to the criticism from the public, take back her words in her memoir and do justice to all those she has harmed. But Ping Fu has chosen to ignore us while she continues with her deceptive speeches and interviews, much to the indignation of the University’s faculty and students and all related parties at home and abroad. In these circumstances, Soochow University saw it as necessary to clarify our position on the issue. 

The First Official Statement has understandably drawn a lot of public attention worldwide. And to update all parties on our stand on the incident, Soochow University now follows up with its Second Official Statement. 

1.The University could have publicized related evidences in its First Official Statement, but given the fact that many of these evidences involve Ping Fu’s private study and life records at this University, we did not think it was yet time. However, we are willing to show them to the media and/or to other related parties and to make public the evidences when necessary. Ping Fu’s former advisor and fellow classmates at Soochow University are prepared to accept interviews with media both at home and abroad. 

2. Ping Fu should stand up and respond publicly to the facts. She must be honest with the Bachelor’s degree and Master’s credentials that she claimed to have received from Soochow University. The public has every reason to see her failure to respond and to show these documents as proof that she admits to having lied. 

3. In order to clarify matters, Soochow University is prepared for an open dialogue with Ping Fu, that could be attended by the media both at home and abroad as well as her publisher and other related parties. We hope that Ping Fu responds to our suggestion and contact us as soon as possible via: E-mail:szu-hfw@suda.edu.cn, or Tel: 0086-512-6522-0971. 

4. The University holds that Ping Fu must publicly apologize for her lies. If Ping Fu continues to ignore the University’s requests and suggestions that we have so far made, Soochow University will officially start taking legal action (the legal papers in preparation). In the mean time, we will publish an Open Letter on newspapers and through online websites both in China and the USA. Ping Fu must take back her lies and make apologies to the University. If Ping Fu fails to do what is required, Soochow University reserves the right to take legal action against her in both countries. 

5. We are disappointed to know that the American Library Association (ALA) will invite Ping Fu to address its 2013 Annual Conference on June 29 and promote her book to all 120,000 public libraries all over the USA. The ALA is a place of free speech and open discussion, but to have Ping Fu there for her rumors and lies is not just an insult to truth but a violation of American laws. We call on the ALA to cancel the invitation and stop promoting her book. Soochow University publicly denounces all arrangements that will involve slanders against us and, in case of a violation, will disclose all evidences of Ping Fu’s fraud.  

Soochow University
 June 14, 2013

Broken Fact: Lane Sharman's Business Practice

The Original Story:
While enjoying a nice, and perhaps romantic, relationship with her boss Lane Sharman, Fu Ping nonetheless despised the latter's business practice of frequent and outrageous over-billing of their clients. On Pages 64-65 of Drifting Bottle, she detailed her dilemma and hurt in the face of the questionable ethics:

On my first service job, I behaved like an honest fool. That night, a secretary at a law firm called, crying for help. None of their computers was working. She was preparing briefs for the next day. I took off with my toolbox and found out it was an issue of power supply. Once replaced, computers were working again. 

I reported to Lan the next day. Unexpectedly, he got very angry. He did not say a word but walked away. I only learned from other coworkers that I was not supposed to have told the truth to the secretary. The smart consultant would pretend to examine everything, send the secretary home, and then fix the machines by morning. Then we would be able to issue a bill of $1,000 to the firm. The way I fixed it, we would only get $100. 

This kind of job was terrible to me. But I had to do what the boss told us to do for survival. If the company could not make money, it would also be our misfortune. 

... 

More and more, Lan becomes happy with my work. But whenever he was the happiest, I was in the most pain. Those clients who paid high fees were mostly kind, trustful, or ignorant. I could not feel the happiness of success dealing with them, but only guilty and shame. Lan told me that I did not know how to separate work from feelings, which meant that I did not know how to enjoy life. Maybe he was right. 

第一次出门，我就做了一个诚实的大傻瓜。那天深夜，一个律师事务所的秘书带着哭腔打来电话，事务所里的计算机全都不工作了，她正在为第二天出庭准备材料。我马上带着工具赶到事务所，一查是电源线的问题。换上一根，计算机马上恢复正常。 

第二天向蓝汇报工作，谁知他满脸乌云。欲言又止，一句好话没说，掉脸走了。向别的员工打听才知道，我是不该告诉律师的秘书实情的。聪明的顾问会假装东摸西摸，把秘书打发回家，第二天早上机器修好了，便可寄一张一千美元的账单给律师。像我这样半个小时就修好的只能收一百美元。 

这种工作对我太不适合了。为了生存又无法不按照老板的规矩去做。公司挣不到钱，也是我们员工的不幸。 

…… 

蓝对我的工作越来越满意。他最高兴的时候总是我最痛苦的时候。那些多付了很多费用的顾客，大多是善良、轻信或无知的顾客。和他们做生意，我无法感到成功的喜悦，有的只是内疚与惭愧。蓝说我不懂得如何分离工作与感情，这说明我不懂得如何享受生活。也许他是对的，我太多情。

The Debunking:
On April 4, 2013, Lane Sharman himself entered a comment on the NYT blog site:

Everyone, 

This is Lane Sharman. 

I have to confess that I am very saddened to be accused of promoting dishonesty.
I have a long record of developing trusted relationships with people across all types of business. I practice the golden rule. 

I can defend myself on the basis of a long record of fair dealings with all people, from all walks of life and from all ethnicities. 

Thank you,
Lane

To which Fu Ping responded on April 10:

Lane, I am sorry your integrity is questioned by people who don't know you or me. Let me state publicly here. Lane is one of my heros and I love him dearly. My success today was significantly influenced by learning from him and by his compassion and support of me when I was a struggling new immigrant and a student.  

Taking content out of context from a Chinese book with censorship in China, disregard what I wrote in Bend, Not Break, to attack Lane's integrity is wrong.

I wrote the Chinese book, which is a collection of essays, using material of first 10 years of my life and observations in America in early 90s. The book was heavily controlled and edited by a Chinese state owned publication house and I was limited to what I can write. Anything not allowed in China then was deleted or altered.  

In Bend, Not Break, I openly admitted my ignorance and poked fun of myself for what I wrote in the Chinese book: (p131-132) 

If there is anything in the Chinese book that can be read as questioning Lane's integrity or honesty, that is entirely my fault. I was clueless about business and entrepreneurship at that time and I carried imprint by years of brain washing during CR. It only illustrates my ignorance.  

Lane is one of the most outstanding people who I had the fortune to work for long time ago, I learned a lot from him. His integrity and kindness are self-evident through what I wrote in Bend, Not Break and from people who know him.  

Ping

It's rather puzzling how Chinese censorship would have played a role in the paragraphs Fu Ping wrote in that book. Was Fu Ping claiming that the Chinese government made her do it?!

Questionable Fact: Lane Sharman's Romantic Interest in Fu Ping

The Original Story:
In her earlier auto-biography Drifting Bottle, Fu Ping told a slightly different version of her relationship with her first employer, Lane Sharman. She affectionately called him "Lan(蓝)" in Chinese, meaning "blue." The chapter is titled "Blue Feeling, Blue Dream".

When they first met, Fu Ping commented that Lane's eyes are "blue like the ocean water." (P. 61) After her job interview at Lane's office the next day, Lane made a point to tell her, "I am a married man." (P. 63) They enjoyed frequent lunch dates by the seaside. (P. 70)

The Debunking:
These material, which clearly indicated a romantic interest between Lane Sharman and Fu Ping, did not show up in Bend, Not Break, which by itself is rather curious.

Sexual harassment at work place had not yet become a hot issue in 1986. In a small company like Lane Sharman's, it's hard to say what could be going on. But a male boss telling a female job candidate his marriage status seems to be out of line regardless.

What is more shocking is, of course, this "romance" happened around the exact same time that Fu Ping entered a secret marriage, giving more credence that the marriage was probably a sham.

Broken Fact: Fu Ping's Missed Opportunity of Getting Rich

The Original Story:
When Fu Ping was graduating from UCSD, she decided to leave her job with Lane Sharman and pursue opportunities in big cooperation. On Pages 69-70 of Bend, Not Break, she recalled:

Lane did everything he could to talk me out of my decision, including warning me that big companies aren't nearly as interesting places to work as start-ups. When I refused to reconsider, he said, "If you stay, I'll give you 5 percent of the company." I had no idea what a generous offer this was. Above all, given how hard I had worked to put myself through school, I felt I simply couldn't refuse the Bell Labs opportunity because it had offered to pay for my PhD. Lane and I parted on the best of terms. 

Six months later, Lane called. He had sold his company to AT&T, the parent company of Bell Labs. I finally understood what 5 percent meant: millions.

The Earlier Story:
In Drifting Bottle, however, Fu Ping said Lane Sharman's offer was five percent of the company's profit. (P. 80)

The Debunking:
If 5 percent meant millions, the simple math tells us that Lane Sharman's company was sold for at least 40 millions.

Shockingly, that was news to Lane Sharman himself. In an email to Albert Wang, he stated:

Factually, I did not sell Resource System Group and earn millions! I wish! 

I sold and licensed software and made some very modest income from my work as a software engineer.

Lane Sharman's version is more credible with Fu Ping's own description of the job and company in her book. It is impossible to believe that his company could be worth tens of millions. In comparison, decades later, Fu Ping's own and much celebrated company, Geomagic, was reportedly sold for $55 millions.

If Lane Sharman were already selling his company or at least had that intention at the time, it would make no business sense to pay such a hefty price to retain an employee. Non-business considerations might have played a role. But the more reasonable explanation is that the five-percent was not worth that much.

Questionable Fact: Fu Ping's Employment Income at San Diego

The Original Story:
Some time around the summer of 1986, Fu Ping decided to drop out the University of New Mexico and move to San Diego. When she failed to enroll into UCSD upon arrival there, she happened upon Lane Sharman, an entrepreneur who offered her first "real job." She told the story on Pages 67-70 in Bend, Not Break:

A handsome, thirty-something man walking along the sand approached me and asked if I'd like to walk with him. I said yes... 

...He introduced himself as Lane Sharman, and explained that he was the owner of a computer software company, Resources Systems Group. He gave me his card and told me to stop by if I needed a job. 

...He offered me a job as a computer programmer at fifteen dollars an hour. I enthusiastically accepted. 

... 

Lane asked one day if any of us would be willing to work nights. We would earn double our usual hourly rate, he said, and get paid for every hour that we were on call, regardless of whether a service request came in. I immediately volunteered... 

For the next two years, I answered calls in the middle of the night, mostly from legal clerks working at law firms that handled time-critical court cases. I would drive to the clients' offices during the wee hours and fix their hardware or software problems, which sometimes meant simply rebooting their system. By the time I graduated, I was earning close to eighty thousand dollars a year.

The Debunking:
The income of eighty thousand dollars a year, for an undergraduate student in 1986, is a pretty impressive sum. For an hourly job, it roughly translates to $40 an hour pay rate for a 40 hour per week full time job. Fu Ping was however a full time student who worked part-time.

But her figure may not be totally out of line. She could be paid double (with a rate of $20 per hour) for every hour at night, assuming that she has the on call job all by herself almost every night. It is just very unusual for a small company willing to pay such a high salary to an essentially intern job.

Broken Fact: Fu Ping's First Marriage and Love Stories

The Original Story:
On Page 95 of Bend, Not Break, Fu Ping felt sorry for herself after starting her first professional job at Bell Labs in 1988:

I was almost thirty years old and had no personal life. It had been more than five years since I'd landed in the United States, yet I still wondered, What was an American life exactly?

The Earlier Story:
From Pages 37 to 59 of her earlier autobiography Drifting Bottle, Fu Ping used an entire chapter detailing her love story while she was a student at University of New Mexico. She was torn between a Chinese Kaili (凯利) and an American Richard (理查德) and ended up leaving them both when she left Albuquerque for San Diego.

The Changed Story:
After questions were raised on how quickly she had obtained her green card, Fu Ping disclosed a secret to Didi Kirsten Tatlow of International Herald Tribune:

In an interview with the International Herald Tribune, she said, apparently for the first time, the reason she kept quiet was she was trying to protect her first husband, an American, whom she does not mention in her memoir. The marriage took place while she was living in California, she said.  

“I had a first marriage and that’s how I got my green card,” she said by telephone. She married on Sept. 1, 1986 and divorced three years later.

The Debunking:
It's not clear why Fu Ping felt the need to protect her first husband, who appeared to have passed away by the time she wrote the book.

The said marriage has since been confirmed, although it was doubtful if she was living in California at the time of marriage since she was still using a New Mexico address.

Bend, Not Break is supposed to be a book of the life struggle of an immigrant who achieved the American dream. As any immigrants knew, one of the hardest obstacles in this journey is to secure the residency. Fu Ping chose not to include this critical information in this book, leading to an obvious suspicion: was this marriage a green card fraud?

Remember, we are talking about an individual who had been honored by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as one of Outstanding Americans by Choice.

It was also not clear whether the Richar Lynn Ewald was the same "Richard" in Drifting Bottle. But it certainly does not appear that she had had no personal life in the five years since she landed in the US.

Document: Certificate of Fu Ping's First Marriage

Below is a copy image of the certificate of Fu Ping's first marriage, which she did not mention in any of her books. The marriage was only disclosed after questions raised about her quickness in obtaining a US permanent residency (green card).

Note that she used an Albuquerque address and that her little sister, Fu Hong, was the witness.

Thanks to Jean Zheng for providing the copy.