The man who challenged the official narrative of China’s economy is no more. Gao Shanwen, has died after a year-long battle with cancer, according to Chinese media on Tuesday. He was 55.
His death has sparked an outpouring of tributes on Chinese social media. Many users did not just remember him as a respected economist, but as someone who was willing to question China’s official economic data.
One comment on Weibo summed up the public mood:
“Only 55 years old—what a terrible loss. He was someone who dared to speak the truth.”
For nearly 30 years, Gao built a reputation as one of China’s leading macroeconomists. His research on economic growth, the property market and broader economic trends made him one of the country’s most closely watched market experts.
Born in 1971, Gao graduated from Peking University before joining the People’s Bank of China in 1995, where he worked on economic research and policy. He later became chief economist at Everbright Securities Research Institute before joining Essence Securities in 2007.
In his later years Gao attracted attention for making unusually direct comments about China’s economy.
In late 2024, he said China’s GDP growth between 2021 and 2023 may have been overstated by about 10 percentage points. The remarks came at a time when many people were already worried about China’s slowing economy and drew widespread attention.
Gao had also warned that China’s youth unemployment problem was more serious than official figures suggested. His comments were closely watched because few well-known economists in China openly questioned government data.
Chinese media reported that Gao had been receiving treatment for cancer for the past year before he died on Tuesday. Records from the Securities Association of China show that his securities industry registration was cancelled at the end of 2025.
Gao had largely disappeared from the public spotlight in recent years, but his death has brought renewed attention to his views. Many people online are remembering him as an economist who was willing to speak openly.
