Science vs religion
If Fang has offended a large swath of China with his anti-TCM stance, his views on religion may be disagreeable to even more people. "Religion wants you to believe blindly, while science wants you to doubt, to rely on evidence and logic. They have fundamental conflicts. I have always opposed efforts at reconciliation. Nowadays, some religious sects seem to co-exist peacefully with science. That's because they have understood their limits," he says.
Fang's initial interest in religion started in the late 1980s and early 1990s when there was a surge in Chinese turning to Christianity. "I started reading the Bible so that I could persuade my relatives not to convert," he says. But he admits he failed in that task. A young man whose parents sought his help to talk him out of becoming a Christian is still very religious today. "We just don't talk about it when we meet. I didn't realize how difficult it is to change one's religious beliefs."
Almost as difficult as it has been for others who tried to change him. While attending Michigan State University, he was often approached by Christian proselytizers. "Those from Chinese churches were most irritable. They were passionate and wanted to debate with me. That forced me to think hard about the topic."
It was this that opened up his spigot for promoting science and atheism. "Many students from China claimed to be atheists, but they had not studied the Bible or engaged in deep thinking, so they were the easiest to convert." As for himself, "they wouldn't waste time on me as soon as they sized me up".
Under my pressure, Fang is willing to recognize that people have the right to believe in whatever they want. "Religion is psychologically comforting. It can bring cohesion," he says. But as a writer of popular science, he says he should insist on the freedom to criticize religion. "Freedom of religion means you can choose to believe or not to believe."
"What about the good morals that believers tend to have because of their fear of the afterlife?" I ask.
"Atheists can have good morals, too. And our morals are based on rational principles, not because some ancient book or preacher told us so. There is a survey that (shows) atheists have the highest morals and the lowest crime rate," he says.
Fang has written 19 books, many of which advocate the theory of evolution, among others. "As a student of biology, I used to debate with fellow students who had their doubts about evolution." But he has had few face-to-face arguments since then.
In recent months, Fang's support for genetically modified food, coupled with his disdain for the old Chinese custom of "sitting the month" (new mothers are not allowed to shower or go outdoors for one month after giving birth), have created the perfect storm against him. Some have gone to the extent of calling him "a CIA spy conspiring to bring a generation of young Chinese to doom".
I was curious to find out if there are any Chinese traditions that Fang takes kindly to.
"I love classical Chinese poetry," he says. "If I'm imprisoned and am allowed only one book, I would bring along Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Fu's volume, which I'll research thoroughly." He took the pen name Zhouzi (his real name is Fang Shimin) because "the two boats that keep me afloat are science and literature."
More surprising is his practice of tai chi. "I practice it every day, as fitness, though. I do not believe in yin, yang or the five elements."
Sometimes, Fang feels like a fish out of water, but "I do not see it as my failure. On the contrary, that is why I want to push for change - change for more fact-based, rational thinking, for honesty".
Judging from the tidal wave of curses hurled his way, he can be said to be a latter-day Pollyanna.
"People like me would have been burned at the stake in the Middle Ages. Nobody would have bothered to reason with me."
