"December 21 marks the winter solstice and a change of seasons. The day is short and the night is long, but it's a normal, natural event."

Yang Guang, an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatories satellite station in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, responding on December 16 to the doomsday rumor which has spread across China, causing social unrest and panic buying

"With more young people turning to American television, Chinese-made rivals are losing out on the market and may face a bleak future if no measures are taken."

Li Shengli, a professor at the Communication University of China, on December 18 urging the government to broadcast live programming to better interact with the audience, in response to increasing predilections for Western TV dramas over homemade programs among Chinese youth

"In 25 years, the country's average housing price will rise to around $14,285 per square meter while the figure for Beijing will surge to $126,984."

Dong Fan, a professor at the School of Management and Director of the Real Estate Research Institute of Beijing Normal University, in a microblog post on December 16

"Only one third of those who die of cancer do so due to ineffective treatment, with one third scared to death and one third dying of over-medication. Since people can live with high blood pressure and diabetes, why can't they live with a tumor?"

Zhi Xiuyi, a professor with the lung cancer treatment center of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, at a medical forum in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, on December 18