From the simple act of wearing helmets to showing the women roaming school libraries and talking to old professors, the two promotional films bear too many similarities. (Photo : Shanghai Daily)
Allegations of plagiarism mar Fudan University’s 110th anniversary celebrations. A publicity video recently published by the university on its official website and other social media platforms has caused an uproar, pushing the school to remove the video from the Internet.
Netizens and other people claim that Fudan University's promotional video bears a striking resemblance to a publicity film made by Tokyo University in 2014.
Titled "To My Light," the five-minute film from Fudan shows a female alumna in a flight suit roaming around the campus. University of Tokyo's video titled "Explorer," on the other hand, shows a spacesuit-clad female graduate talking about how she pursued her dream.
The similarities don't end there. From the simple act of wearing helmets to showing the women roaming school libraries and talking to old professors, the two promotional films bear too many similarities.
According to Fudan University, any resemblance was purely coincidental.
"This video was an independent creation by Fudan," a statement from the university stated.
In an interview with Shanghai Daily, the university clarified that the video was inspired by one of its alumni, Le Yafei. She graduated from the Dynamics Department in 2009 and is now a top test flight engineer for China Commercial Aircraft Corp.
It didn't appease upset Internet users, however. According to Deputy Director Xiong Bingqi from the 21st Century Education Institute, Fudan must conduct a thorough investigation.
"The video was produced to promote the school's image. But it is very likely to ruin it now if the school does not treat the scandal properly," the director said.
Tokyo University has not made a response regarding the issue.
