Wang Yongping

Wang Yongping

Wang Yongping (Chinese: 王勇平) was the former spokesman for the Ministry of Railways and director of its publicity office. He was removed from his posts after making his infamous remark: "no matter you believe it or not, I believe," in a press conference held for the tragic bulletin train crash on July 23, 2011, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province.

The words slipped off his tongue when Wang was questioned why the locomotive was buried during the rescue. He explained that it was all because of the complexity of the rescue work and then raised his head, uttering the abovementioned statement. The sentence was soon circulating among the internet users who made it a mockery by adopting it in every persuasion and dubbed it the "High-Speed Railway Style."

The ministry announced Wang’s firing from his publicity posts on Aug. 16, 2011 via Xinhua; the report also said Wang would become the Chinese representative to the Railway Cooperation Organization in Warsaw, Poland. Although an anonymous ministry official denied the decision was made because of the "I believe" buzz, Wang’s reassignment triggered hot discussion as people inquired the reason behind the change and questioned the future of the ministry’s spokesman position.

Born in 1955 in Hunan, Wang is an amateur poet, writer and calligrapher. However, his literary and artistic talents didn’t help the ex-spokesman survive the intense questioning by the media, eager to dig out the truth from behind the scene. Wang granted few interviews after his last press conference and said he only wished to lead a peaceful life.