• We invite you to join us in remembering Dr. Fang's life on this dedicated webpage. Your condolences, stories, videos and pictures will be cherished by the family and provide comfort during this difficult time. Instead of flowers or gifts, we would appreciate help defraying funeral costs for his widow via PAYPAL.
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In Devoted Memory

Neng-yu Fang

February 10, 1938 - September 2, 2025

Dr. Neng-yu Fang was born in February 1938 during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. His mother gave birth to him while fleeing their home and never remembered his birthday. His family were part of the intellectual and governing elite in China with connections to important political figures, British colonists, intellectuals, and the like. He excelled at school and studied to become a physician at Shanghai Medical University. Between 1958 and 1962, Chairman Mao unleashed The Great Leap Forward, an ill devised program for industrialization that resulted in the greatest famine in human history. Approximately 30-55 million people died in China. His family's assets were seized by the government and they suffered hunger and the death of an older brother during this time. 

At 22, he gave suggestions to the communist party as part of a feedback campaign called “Let a hundred flowers bloom.” He said that China should not follow the Soviet Union in everything and universities should teach English as well as western science and medicine. He already came from a background disfavored by communists, and for his “counter-revolutionary” suggestions he was denounced as a traitor, arrested and exiled to Xinjiang, where he spent 20 years in labor camp working out his sentence. There, he used his English and medical skills to help those around him.

He returned to Shanghai following the Cultural Revolution in 1980. He finished his masters degree at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in 1983. He married in 1974, and had a daughter in January 1983. He knew that his life in China was precarious due to being a political pariah, and he set his heart on immigrating to the United States. He was accepted as a visiting scholar at Catholic University in Virginia and immigrated to the United States in November 1989, the same year the Chinese government cracked down on democracy activists in Tianamen Square. 

Visiting scholars are only allowed to stay a year or two, after which they have to be sponsored by an employer. He was saved by a piece of legislation that would be unimaginable today. On April 11, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed Executive Order 12711, permitting Chinese students and visiting scholars in the United States to stay until July 1, 1993 to escape political persecution. The following year, Congress passed the Chinese Student Protection Act, which allowed Chinese nationals who entered the United States from June 5, 1989 to April 11, 1990 to apply for permanent resident status. He applied and became one of more than 54,000 Chinese nationals that became permanent residents because of this legislation. His wife and daughter joined him in Washington DC in February 1991 and February 1992 respectively.

Between 1993 and 1999 he worked as an assistant and researcher at Chinese Herbal Medicine Research Center and Taoist Health Institute in Washington DC. In 2001 he became a sanitarian and epidemiologist for the DC Department of Health, Food Protection Division. He worked for DC Health until he retired in 2022, at age 83. In Chinese culture, being a scholar/intellectual/professor is highly regarded and he is very proud of his academic accomplishments. His academic publications include:

• - Hu, Y. H., & Fang, N. Y. (1989). Report from China social and ethical influence of some pain: the causes of lower incidences of some pain syndromes in Chinese people. Bioethics, 3(3), 236-244.DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8519.1989.tb00343.x
• - "Scientism, Free Choice and Harmony: A Chinese Contribution" in McLean, G. F., Magliola, R. R., & Fox, W. (Eds.). (2004). Democracy: in the throes of liberalism and totalitarianism. https://www.crvp.org/publications/Series-VII/VII-14.pdf
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• He had many interests and hobbies during his life. He hated the Chinese communist party and was a champion of democracy and free speech. He served as the president of the Acupuncture Society of Washington DC for many years. He loved books, and was always bringing home books he got for free or cheap at the thrift store. He loved foraging and thrifting. He was always helping friends with English translation, legal and immigration matters, and for health advice and treatment. He brought them home to live with his family if they were unhoused. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Montgomery Chinese Branch, in February 1994 and was a beloved congregant. He moved to Rockville, Maryland in August 1995 and also lived in Germantown with his wife the last five years. He died on September 2, 2025 in his sleep at home and was buried at Morris Orchard in Frederick, Maryland in a green burial on September 6, 2025.
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• His life was defined by resilience, determination, scholarship, and service. He overcame war, famine, revolution, persecution, and incarceration to immigrate to the United States at age 51. He is survived by his wife, Fengdi Chen, and daughter, Clara Changxin Fang. His life is an inspiration to all. His family, friends, and colleagues all miss him and wish him God speed.
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• Read my EULOGY for a more personal and colorful account of his life.
• Watch the LIFE SLIDESHOW for family photos.
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• We invite you to join us in remembering Dr. Fang's life on this dedicated webpage. Your condolences, stories, videos and pictures will be cherished by the family and provide comfort during this difficult time. Instead of flowers or gifts, we would appreciate help defraying funeral costs for his widow via PAYPAL.
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• Care Entrusted to Thibadeau Mortuary Service, pa
• 124 E. Diamond Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-5009
• 301-495-4950
• www.InterFaithFunerals.com