Curious side story to the recent Sichuan earthquake, as drawn out by Danwei from a few different sources.

On 12 May, Fan Meizhong was teaching literature to a class of high school students when the earthquake hit. He shouted, “Earthquake!” and then ran out of the classroom, down the stairs, and out onto the field, leaving his students behind.

Apparently, just minutes after the students joined their teachers in the school courtyard (apparently no one was in great danger) they were calling this guy “Runner Fan.” Meizhong has since become both a subject of ire and ridicule. Even the principal of the school calls him “Runner Fan” to the media.

Chinese Netizens have since taken over and Runner Fan is being called “the most shameless teacher ever,” party because he abandoned his students, but also because he put up a bizarre post on the the Tianya BBS (a platform launched to connect earthquake victims and volunteers) that attempted to justify his actions.

Fan confessed that his instinct for self-preservation meant that his daughter was the only person he’d ever think of sacrificing himself for — he’d even have left his mother behind.

His misguided attempt to make the public better understand his plight has backfired. As a result, the media attention has intensified. The following is from a May 31 Changjiang Times interview with Runner Fan. Get the impression this won’t be going away anytime soon?

Changjiang Times: Why did you post that article on the Internet?
Fan Meizhong: I graduated from the history department of Peking University. After this major historic event, I wanted to record something in words, so I wrote that article online.

CT: Netizens say that it’s OK that you ran, but you shouldn’t be so boastful about it. What do you think about that?
Fan: If I wasn’t wrong to run, then what’s the problem with writing about it? True, a teacher has a responsibility and duty to educate students, but the Education Law does not have any regulations saying that during an earthquake a teacher must save the students. My running off alone didn’t violate national law. It only challenged the traditional ideas of education and morality that many people hold. They believe that a teacher ought to be a model of virtue for others, and in the face of disaster, students are the weaker group so a teacher should help them up.

But the fact is that at the instant of the earthquake, a teacher is weak, too. I had no experience; neither the state nor the school taught me live-saving or rescue techniques. I had no ability to save the entire class. If every teacher was like Mr. Tan [Tan Qianqiu, who used his body to shield four students from a collapsing roof], who gave his life for his students, then we’d have no more heroes. I admire heroes like Mr. Tan, but I can’t do that myself. I love my life more.

The incident has spawned a debate concerning the title above — is Fan’s self-preservation a firing offense?

Fan appeals to the Education Law to deny any wrongdoing. In response, commentators have suggested that Fan’s actions did indeed violate that law. Here’s an excerpt from a Rednet post by Li Zhenzhong, titled “The ‘Running teacher’ was also ‘tofu dregs’ in the face of disaster”:

The Compulsory Education Law does stipulate that “a teacher should be a model of virtue for others and should be devoted to the education of the people.” To be a “model of virtue,” to “undertake the duty stipulated in the law,” to be “devoted to the education of the people”: looking at the Compulsory Education Law, being concerned solely for one’s own life and leaving students behind while fleeing violates the spirit of the law.

The Compulsory Education Law was revised in 2006; the 1986 version only commanded teachers to “show concern for their students and be devoted to their duties.” But it’s likely that the netizens who are attacking Runner Fan’s morals would argue that simply shouting “Earthquake!” and then running outside doesn’t really show concern for the students, either.