China’s ambassador ‘shocked’ by death of graduate Zheng Shaoxiong in Chicago, mother speaks of loss
- Beijing’s envoy Qin Gang calls for justice and seeks protection for Chinese in America after the shooting death of talented 24-year-old
- Zheng’s mother Li Rong describes heartbreak at having to make first overseas trip for her son’s memorial service
Qin mourned the loss on Twitter, saying he was shocked and dismayed by Zheng’s death.
“My deep condolences to his parents. The Chinese consulate general in Chicago is helping them deal with the aftermath. We call for justice in his case and protection of Chinese in the US from hatred and xenophobia,” Qin tweeted.
Li Rong, Zheng’s mother, flew from Sichuan in western China to attend a memorial service for her son at the university’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on Thursday.
“This is mama’s first ever overseas trip. It wasn’t to tour around, nor to attend your graduation ceremony or your wedding. It’s to attend your funeral,” Li said.
“Just two days before you were brutally killed, I received a bottle of perfume sent by you from Chicago. It’s a birthday present from you.
“Today, I came all the way here and wore the perfume you bought me. I believe you can smell it and the scent of mama. That’s how you’d know mama is here to bring you home.
“I’m speaking in the capacity of a mother that the safety of international students must be safeguarded. There must not be another replay of such a tragedy.”
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The memorial service was attended by students and teachers of the University of Chicago where Zheng had recently graduated with a master’s degree.
Students were seen leaving flowers not far from where Zheng was gunned down at East 54th Place in Hyde Park, close to where he lived.
Zheng began his master’s degree in statistics at the University of Chicago in 2019. He was stranded in the US during the peak of the pandemic. Zheng was known by his peers as a maths talent and an academic shining star.
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The department of statistics and actuarial science at the University of Hong Kong, where Zheng finished his undergraduate studies in 2019, is holding a memorial book signing on campus until Tuesday.
Fan was killed exactly 10 months before Zheng’s death and just a five-minute drive away from the scene of the latest shooting.
Fan, a PhD student, was shot in the head while sitting in his car in a multistorey car park, one of several victims chosen at random by the gunman that day.
