Just a few short years ago, Fang Shimin stood at the crossroads. But he didn't waste time thinking about his future. The right decision, he believed, was a no-brainer.

So Fang, a bright, up-and-coming biochemist, left his highly-sought-after job to wage a personal crusade against pseudo-science and superstitions.

Fang, who had earned his PhD in biochemistry at Michigan State University, quit his job, which many of his colleagues and friends wanted, to turn over a new life.

That was in 1998. Few people would have made that decision. At that time, Fang was even receiving royalties from a biotech company that held a licence to use a protein from an HIV-related gene.

Fang, with three other scientists, cloned the protein - at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California - after he graduated from Michigan State University.

"Generally speaking, I reached my academic accomplishments without a hitch in the past," Fang said.

"However, my real passion is freelance writing and analysing pseudo-science and superstitions in domestic and overseas Chinese communities. Naturally, I changed my profession."

Fang believes superstitions came into being, like a twin sister to civilization, as mankind entered the era of civilization thousands of years ago.

"In ancient times, people's actions and beliefs were the result of backwardness and their superficial knowledge of nature," Fang said.

"Pseudo-science and superstition still exist today, because some people have sinister goals of reaping colossal profits. Very few independent critical voices can be heard. That's why I decided to do something about it."

Fang doesn't regret his decision. In fact, he relishes his new identity - "terminator of pseudo-science and superstition."

He also proudly describes himself as the boy in the fable "The Emperor's New Clothes," and claims he "saw through the acts of misconduct in science, and could not help but speak out."

Fang credits his experiences, during his years of study in the 1980s at the Chinese University of Science and Technology, for his success and ability to correctly analyse situations.

The unchecked spread of pseudo-science and superstition in Chinese academic circles began in the 1980s. Rather than conducting decent, honest work, many swindlers spread superstitious ideas in the name of scientific research.

The cheaters, to swindle money from the gullible, claimed they could recognize Chinese characters with their ears, turn water into oil and predict people's fortunes based on their appearances.

"I began to question the authenticity of their ridiculous performances when I was a university student. I made up my mind, at that time, to expose their dishonest tricks," Fang said.

A self-proclaimed expert in medical science, who claimed to have "extra-sensory perception," once told students, during a lecture at a university campus, that he could recognize Chinese characters with both of his ears.

Fang sat beside the "cheater," who had disguised himself as a person who could perform miracles, and closely watched the man. Fang quickly noticed the man was able to sneak glances at the Chinese characters as they were being written by the members of the audience.

To expose the sham, Fang wrote a lengthy math formula on a sheet of paper and handed it to the cheater. As Fang had expected, the impostor was not able to recognize the formula.

"He had no choice but cook up an excuse to end the display. However, many people in the audience, even some teachers ...remained die-hard believers," Fang said.

"Since then, I have been waging a war against pseudo-science and superstition."

Fang did not abandon his "war," even though he left China, in the early 1990s, for further studies in the United States.

He read Chinese newspapers and magazines online almost daily to keep up with events at home.

In 1999, Fang became annoyed with what he said were seemingly countless articles by Falungong's practitioners that promoted various fallacies.

For example, Li Hongzhi, founder of Falungong, and various practitioners urged followers to depend on the so-called "belief hidden in the depths of their minds" to cure diseases, rather than turning to doctors and medicine for help.

"A lot of ignorant people were duped into accepting such absurd theories, and some even went insane," Fang said.

Many of Falungong's followers refused to get medical treatment when they suffered from diseases. To go to heaven, some of the followers slaughtered their family members and/or committed suicide.

Fang wrote several articles, which were published on his website, under the pseudonym Fang Zhouzi. In these writings, he suggested superstitious ideas had caused great harm to ordinary people's physical and psychological health.

Fang still takes pride in the fact he branded the "Falungong spiritual movement" an evil cult several months before the Chinese Government outlawed the sect.

In recent years, Fang's crusade against pseudo-science and superstition has received tremendous support from a group of VIPs, who have put a lot of effort into spreading scientific knowledge among ordinary people.

Fang has expanded his focus to include various nutrients available on the market.

"In my opinion, most producers of nutrients exaggerate or fabricate the advantages ... of their products in newspaper advertisements and TV commercials. The so-called 'Zhen-ao nucleic acid nutrient' is a case in point," Fang said.

Ads for the "Zhen-ao nucleic acid nutrient" have shocked Fang. The ads claim the acid "is extracted directly from animal organs with a high and pure DNA content. DNA supplements are necessary for pregnant women, students, physically weak people and the aged. So supplementing DNA is the secret to immortality."

Fang, who is always a skeptic, conducted his own investigation into the validity of those claims. He spent several months writing articles on the topic, which he published on his personal website. Fang even interviewed several Nobel laureates, whom dispelled the claims.

Fang's efforts eventually paid off. China's Ministry of Health declared in April, 2001 the ads exaggerated the medicinal value of the product. Chinese authorities ordered the manufacturer to stop making such claims.

Fang has been praised by many in China's academic circles, and has been cursed by some of the charlatans.

"I will not back down, because I am sure what I do benefits the science community," Fang said.