China’s pursuit of academic excellence has been marred by widespread scientific fraud. Plagiarism, fabricated data, and pressure to falsify research are prevalent in the country’s universities. This misconduct is driven by incentives that reward quantity over quality in scientific publishing, leading to a staggering number of retractions and questionable papers. Despite government efforts to crack down on fraudulent research, the problem persists. Universities continue to emphasize paper count over research integrity, and the influence of government officials in academia hinders the fostering of genuine scientific inquiry. The courageous actions of Mr. Huang’s graduate students, who exposed his plagiarism and fabrication, offer a ray of hope, but much more needs to be done to purify the pursuit of science in China.