Der chinesische Intellektuelle an und für sich ist sehr fragil. Er stirbt im Schnitt mit 58 Jahren, das ist 10 Jahre unter dem chinesischen Mittel in Sachen Lebenserwartung. Im Pekinger Silicon Valley sterben die Denker wie die Fliegen, schreibt jedenfalls Xinhua:
In Beijing's Zhongguancun area -- known as China's Silicon Valley and home to some of China's top universities and research institutions -- the intellectuals are dropping like flies: the average age at death is just 53.3 years, 5.2 years earlier than 10 years ago, according to a study conducted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. There is a saying describe Chinese intellectuals as, "higher in IQ but lower in physical strength." According to a joint survey conducted by 10 major Shanghai news organizations in 2002, 78.6% of journalists die between the ages of 40 and 60, with the average age at death 45.7 years old. Overwork and poor physical condition were blamed for the phenomenon.