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A thesis written by a woman surnamed Yang, who was involved in the controversial Wuhan University library sexual harassment case has been found to be taken down from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, yicai.com reported on Wednesday. 

Previously, screenshots shared online by internet users showed that Yang’s paper titled “Fertility and Domestic Violence: An Economic Study between China and India” had been downloaded more than 310,000 times, ranking first among Wuhan University theses available on the platform, per Yicai report.

According to CNKI customer service, in order to withdraw a thesis from the platform, the author must contact the graduate school of their university, and obtain a withdrawal letter from the school’s faculty to hand over to the thesis department of CNKI before the platform processes the withdrawal, yicai.com reported. 

When asked whether the university could directly send a withdrawal letter to CNKI without the author’s request, the customer service representative said they were not sure and advised asking the school. The representative also said they were not aware of the specific circumstances regarding the removal of Yang’s thesis.

In response to inquiries, faculty member from the Graduate School of Wuhan University replied that they had just been informed of the news and were verifying it, according to yicai.com. 

The highly publicized sexual harassment case at Wuhan University library, which began in 2023, concluded with a court ruling in favor of a male student surnamed Xiao, who had been accused of harassment two years earlier, according to media reports. 

The case drew widespread attention across China, particularly regarding campus disciplinary procedures and the protection of student rights. 

Wuhan University issued a statement on August 1 following the court ruling by the People’s Court of Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone against Yang, saying it had formed a special working group to re-examine the disciplinary action involving Xiao and academic issues related to Yang’s thesis. 

In October 2023, Yang accused Xiao of sexual harassment, claiming he had masturbated in her direction in the school library that July. She published details of the incident online, which drew widespread public attention. 

Afterward, the university issued a statement saying it had given the male student a demerit. The statement stated that the university had always maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward disciplinary and regulatory violations, which will never be condoned once verified.

In February 2024, Xiao’s mother posted online that her son suffered from atopic dermatitis, a chronic skin condition that causes inflammation and itching, and that he had been scratching himself at the school library. She denied the sexual allegations against him and shared hospital records showing treatment for the condition. 

In June 2024, Yang filed a civil lawsuit against Xiao, accusing him of masturbating in public. The People’s Court of Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone ruled against Yang on July 25, 2025. 

The incident attracted widespread public attention, with some netizens beginning to point out mistakes and irregularities in Yang’s graduation thesis.

In Wuhan University’s statement issued on August 1, the university pledged to conduct a full investigation into Yang’s graduation thesis, and said it would handle the case based on facts, school rules and the academic code of conduct.