“Modern Sherlock Holmes” in Zhejiang

By Jiang Minda



“Modern Sherlock Holmes” in Zhejiang

By Jiang Minda

One of the world’s foremost forensic scientists and founder of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, Chinese American forensic scientist Henry Chang-Yu Lee is widely acclaimed by colleagues and the world media as the “Detective Sherlock in modern times”. Lee is also a longtime friend of Zhejiang. I am lucky to have been one of the witnesses to many of his Zhejiang visits and his charisma not only as a scientist but also as a person.

Lee’s lecture made in the form of video conferencing on April 9, 2008 in Zhejiang was attended by more than ten thousands of members of the provincial police force. Even on the TV screen, Lee demonstrated his charisma and eloquence with ease and a great sense of humor.

“Every crime scene is unique and it happens only once. You have to find the key from a mess of information. The real key can be anything from a spider web to dust. You have to pay attention to the minutest ‘traces’. A good criminal investigator sees everything in a dimensional way and tells the truth from superficial presentation. Always bear in mind that it takes a scientificmentality to make a forensic investigator.”

李昌钰（右二）指导浙江工商大学研究生。Henry Chang-Yu Lee is having a conversation with graduate students at Zhejiang Gongshang University.

Lee made his 10th visit to Zhejiang Police Institute on May 13, 2015 to share his forensic insights with an audience of about 500 students and teachers. “I enjoy being with young people who always bring me back to my youthful days.” In the lecture, Lee pointed out that it takes efficient team work that involves the effort of all investigating members and even the contribution from the public to perform forensic duties. The crime scene is not for anyone to indulge his ego, the man warned. In the lecture, he also shared a real story about how forensic technologies were used to protect the interest of Chinese exporters in a dispute about alleged safety loopholes of ‘Made in China’ lamp products sold in America.

Lee has been on a busy schedule since 1985, traveling around China to give lectures and performing his duties as emeritus professor in a dozen academic institutions including Xi’an University and Chinese People’s Public Security University. In 2009, Chang-Yu Lee joined the advisors team of the graduate school of the Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Gongshang University.

“I love teaching and it is my lifetime pursuit to impart my forensic expertise and experiences to the younger generations.” After a brief inauguration ceremony, Lee shared his life experiences and forensic philosophy with about 1,000 students and teachers. “My life philosophy is to make the impossible possible; it is such mentality that made me what I am now.”

The scientist has drawn a loyal following for his magnetic charisma.

“Success is the combined magic of dreams and hard work. If you stop taking actions for something you define as ‘impossible’, you will have no tomorrow. However, dreams are not enough. You also need a clear mind and a strong willpower to get closer to the goal step by step.”

Lee and his wife visited the headquarters of Alibaba Technology in May, 2014. After finishing his lunch in the company canteen, Lee gave a lecture to about 500 people and shared his vision about scientific management of time and human resources. “It takes a lot of self-discipline and self-improvement to qualify as a team leader,” Lee advised.

Chang-Yu Lee made his first visit to Anji in the early summer of 2014. He and his wife enjoyed a bamboo feast at the construction site of the Hello Kitty Park, and had a good time immersing in the enchanting bamboo culture of Zhejiang’s ‘bamboo paradise’.

“I love bamboo for it is a symbol of tenacity and willpower.” Lee commented after visiting the Bamboo Culture Garden.