“No fear of death”: Chinese professor consoles students with philosophical approach despite advanced cancer

He told the students that he was a terminally ill cancer patient undergoing treatment and had to take a lot of painkillers in order to attend class.

“Illness is not something we worry about, but something we deal with,” Zhu said. “Do not be sad even if I collapse in the classroom one day, because a philosopher is not afraid of death.”

His honesty and openness about his illness surprised many students. After his story was widely reported in the mainland media, people traveled from other cities to hear his lessons.

Zhu had taught in the United States for three decades before returning to China in 2018 to teach at Shenzhen University and later at Renmin University.

In the fall of 2022, he was diagnosed with cancer and doctors estimated that he would probably live another five years.

As the cancer spread to his liver, causing it to swell and cause great pain with every movement, Zhu continued to view his condition from a philosopher’s perspective.

“When the organs stop functioning properly, I am more aware of the existence of my body. This means that I can no longer subconsciously control my body,” he said.

On April 2, Zhu told his students that he had stopped chemotherapy because “the disease was incurable.”

Here, too, he showed his positive side: “I can now teach you every week without being late for class,” he said.

One of his students, Jin Ge, said she had never felt so close to death.

“The person standing in front of me could be gone forever tomorrow,” she said.

Zhu had often used his own life experiences as material for his research, even more so after his diagnosis. He said the cancer helped him “think about what I’ve been thinking my whole life.”

One person who attended his class this spring wrote on Xiaohongshu that despite his physical weakness, Zhu seemed “energetic” and that he “made people forget that he was sick” whenever he talked about philosophy.

“A noble deed is worth a thousand words,” said one person on Weibo.

“He will be free forever if he dies doing what he loves,” said another.