Jump to content

Cui Daozhi

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Chinese name, the family name is Cui.
In this Korean name, the family name is Choe.
Cui Daozhi
崔道植
최도식
Cui in 1955
BornJune 1934 (age 90–91)
Hailong County, Fengtian, Manchukuo
(present-day Meihekou, Jilin, China)
OccupationForensic scientist
SpouseJin Yuzhin
Children3
Military career
BranchPeople's Volunteer Army
Years of service1951 (1951)–1955 (1955)
Battles / warsKorean War
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese崔道植
Traditional Chinese崔道植
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinCuī Dàozhí
Korean name
Hangul최도식
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationChoe Dosik
McCune–ReischauerCh'oe Tosik

Cui Daozhi (Chinese: 崔道植; pinyin: Cuī Dàozhí; Korean: 최도식; born June 1934) is a Chinese forensic scientist renowned for his expertise in trace evidence and ballistic identification. Recognized as one of China's first specially invited criminal investigation experts by the Ministry of Public Security, Cui is celebrated as the China's foremost expert in firearm and ballistic trace identification. Over his 60-year career in criminal investigation, he handled over 1200 major cases, conducted more than 7000 trace evidence analyses.

Early life

[edit]

Cui Daozhi was born in June 1934 in Hailong County, then part of Fengtian Province under the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo (now Meihekou in Jilin, China), to a tenant farmer family of Korean ethnicity. He lost his father at age four and his mother at age six, after which he and his elder sister were raised by their grandfather. Following the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in 1945, he began attending school with government support and later became the leader of a children's group. During the Korean War in 1951, he enlisted in the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, serving in a translation training unit. On 6 December 1953, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. His performance led to his promotion to platoon leader in 1955.[1][2][3]

Career

[edit]

In 1955, Cui transitioned from the military to the Heilongjiang Provincial Public Security Department. From 1957 to 1959, he studied trace evidence analysis at the First People's Police Cadre School of the Ministry of Public Security (now Criminal Investigation Police University of China), becoming one of China's first students in this field and Heilongjiang's sole criminal investigation technician at the time. During his studies, he received the "Advanced Technical Revolutionary" award.[4][5][6] He later pursued further education at Harbin Amateur Workers' University and Harbin Medical University to enhance his criminal investigation knowledge.[3][7][8] After the Cultural Revolution, he was promoted to head of the Trace Evidence Section.[9]

Cui as an expert in the ballistic identification

In the early 1970s and 1981, in an era without DNA technology, Cui solved two homicide cases in Harbin and Mudanjiang by analyzing bite marks on a victim's face and fingernail fragments left in a victim's abdomen, pioneering the use of bite marks and fingernails for identification in complex cases.[10][11][12] In 1975, he collaborated with researchers from four provinces on a four-year study titled The Relationship Between Hand Dimensions, Height, Age, and Body Type (Chinese: 人手各部位长度宽度与身高、年龄、体态的关系; pinyin: Rénshǒu gè bùwèi chángdù kuāndù yǔ shēngāo, niánlíng, tǐtài de guānxì). Starting in 1981, he authored several influential papers regarding ballistic trace identification which were published in Ministry of Public Security textbooks and presented at the 10th Interpol Conference in 2024.[12] In 1992, Cui was appointed Director of the Criminal Technology Division at Heilongjiang Provincial Public Security Department.[13] That same year, he received a national certificate for outstanding scientific contributions from the State Council and was granted a special government allowance.[14][12][15]

Despite his retirement in 1994, he was rehired and between 1996 and 1997, he analyzed ballistic evidence in a series of armed assaults and robberies in Xinjiang and Beijing, designated as China's "No. 1 Criminal Investigation Case" of 1997 and the third most significant case globally by Interpol. His analysis confirmed that bullets and casings from both locations were fired from the same Type 81 rifle, identifying the suspect as an individual transferred from Beijing to serve a sentence in Xinjiang. Within a week, his findings led to the arrest of the perpetrator Bai Baoshan.[12][7][15] Cui also provided critical technical analysis for major cases including the Baiyin serial murders and the Zhang Jun robbery-murder cases.[16] In September 1999, Cui was appointed one of the Ministry of Public Security's first specially invited criminal investigation experts.[17][15]

Personal life

[edit]

Cui is married to Jin Yuyin and the couple have three sons who currently work in public security bureau.[18][19]

Titles and honors

[edit]

Due to his investigative skills and contributions to forensics, Cui is referred to as the Chinese Sherlock Holmes.[20] His honors and titles include:

  • National Public Security Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award (2006)[12]
  • 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening Up Political and Legal System News Influential Figure (2018)[6]
  • First-class Heroic Model of the National Public Security System (2019)[21]
  • The Most Beautiful Struggler (2019)[22]
  • July 1 Medal (2021)[N 1][24][25]
[edit]

In the 2024 TV series We Are Criminal Police [zh], the trace examination expert character in the series, Cao Zhongshu, is a prototype of Cui.[26]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Only recipient from the public security field to receive this honor.[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 5–11.
  2. ^ Cao 2021, pp. 229–230.
  3. ^ a b "Cuīdàozhí zhōngchéng shūxiě jǐng jiè chuánqí" 崔道植 忠诚书写警界传奇 [Cui Daozhi writes a legend in the police world with his loyalty]. China New Era (in Chinese). 2023.
  4. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 54.
  5. ^ Cheng & Chen 2022, pp. 24–25.
  6. ^ a b "看痕知枪观弹识人" [Look at the traces to know the guns, watch the bullets and know the people]. Heilongjiang Daily (in Chinese). 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  7. ^ a b "中国首席弹痕专家崔道植" [Cui Daozhi, China's leading bullet wound expert]. The Paper (in Chinese). 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  8. ^ Yingcan, Hao; Yikai, Zhang (2021-07-29). ""信念不动摇，干劲就能始终如一"（奋斗百年路 启航新征程·"七一勋章"获得者）" ["If the belief is not shaken, the motivation can be consistent" (struggle for a hundred years and set sail for a new journey) Winner of the "July 1st Medal")]. People's Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  9. ^ Cheng & Chen 2022, pp. 25–26.
  10. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 37–38.
  11. ^ Cheng & Chen 2022, pp. 26–27.
  12. ^ a b c d e Song, Chen; Daozhi, Cui (2021). Huángpǔ jūnxiào sān bǎi míngjiāng chuán 崔道植:信仰,擎起一生的奋斗力量 [Cui Daozhi: Faith, the power of lifelong struggle] (in Chinese). Dǎng de shēnghuó (Hēilóngjiāng).
  13. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 29.
  14. ^ Cheng & Chen 2022, pp. 31.
  15. ^ a b c "中国首席弹痕专家讲述传奇破案历程" [China's chief bullet mark expert tells the story of the legendary case-solving process]. China News (in Chinese). 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  16. ^ Shi, Ming (2019-08-05). "参与侦破白宝山等案的痕检专家崔道植获推荐为"最美奋斗者"" [Cui Daozhi, a trace inspection expert who participated in the investigation of Bai Baoshan and other cases, was recommended as the "most beautiful struggler"]. The Paper (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  17. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 48.
  18. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 179.
  19. ^ Feng 2020, pp. 191–192.
  20. ^ Xu, Fan (2025-01-21). "Honoring courage in the line of duty". China Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  21. ^ Harbin Daily (2019-10-18). "致敬！我省刑侦专家崔道植 被授予"全国公安系统一级英雄模范"称号！" [Salute! Cui Daozhi, a criminal investigation expert in our province, was awarded the title of "National First-Class Hero and Model of the Public Security System"!]. The Paper. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  22. ^ "（受权发布）"最美奋斗者"名单" [(Authorized to publish) The list of "the most beautiful strugglers"]. Xinhua. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  23. ^ Li, Jin (2021). "Píngfán suìyuè bùfán rénshēng yī wèi xíngshì jìshù jǐngchá yǎnzhōng de cuīdàozhí" 平凡岁月 不凡人生 一位刑事技术警察眼中的崔道植 [Ordinary Years, Extraordinary Life: Cui Daozhi in the Eyes of a Criminal Technology Policeman]. Jǐngchá jìshù (in Chinese).
  24. ^ Xu, Weiwei; Tian, Xuefei; Zhou, Huiying (2021-09-03). "A legend in his lifetime". China Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  25. ^ "Recipients of CPC's highest honor". State Council of the People's Republic of China. 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  26. ^ Feng, Rui (2024-12-10). "热播剧《我是刑警》中的痕迹检验专家是谁？" [Who is the trace inspection expert in the hit drama "We Are Criminal Police"?]. Weixin. Retrieved 2025-06-19.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Cao, Qinfa (2021). Bǎinián dà dǎngqí zhèng hóng qīyī xūnzhāng huòdé zhě fēngcǎi lù 百年大党旗正红 七一勋章获得者风采录 [A Century of Great Party Flags: A Record of July 1st Medal Winners] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhōngyāng wénxiàn chūbǎn shè. ISBN 9787507348347.
  • Cheng, Hongbao; Chen, Zhihuan (2022). Rénmín gōng'ān wéi rénmín hóngyáng yīngmó jīngshén zhù láo zhōngchéng jǐng hún 人民公安为人民 弘扬英模精神筑牢忠诚警魂 [People's Police Serve the People, Carry Forward the Spirit of Heroes and Models, and Build a Loyal Police Soul] (in Chinese). Fuzhou: Fújiàn rénmín chūbǎn shè. ISBN 9787211088867.
  • Feng, Rui (2020). Gònghéguó xíngjǐng cuīdàozhí 共和国刑警崔道植 [Cui Daozhi, Criminal Policeman of the Republic] (in Chinese). Beijing: Qúnzhòng chūbǎn shè. ISBN 9787501460274.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cui_Daozhi&oldid=1296432580"