Wang Xuming says he wants to be a spokesperson with emotions, not just a government mouthpiece. Jiang Dong

Wang Xuming has many job titles - publisher, TV anchor, blogger. Since his first book hit the stands in August, he became a writer as well. Yet most people know him as the "spokesperson of the Ministry of Education (MOE)", a title he lost a year ago.

Wang was perhaps the most controversial spokesperson of central government agencies. Unlike many Chinese officials who prefer to keep a low profile, Wang loves the spotlight and is known not to mince words. Some journalists would playfully call him the second in charge at the MOE after the minister.

In a country where people traditionally believe an official should be prudent, modest and reticent, Wang broke the stereotype in many ways, for which he was both admired and detested intensely.

A bouquet of roses stands on the coffee table in his office. Already withered, it was a gift from admiring journalists. "I received the flowers on July 18, the day I left the post of spokesperson a year ago," says Wang, wearing a checkered T-shirt and Eau de Cologne with his hair neatly combed.

Among all the government spokespersons, he drew the most flak from the press. But many journalists seemed to miss him once he had left.

Wang Xuming says he wants to be a spokesperson with emotions, not just a government mouthpiece. Jiang Dong

His reappointment as president of the Language and Culture Press, a small State-owned publishing house, last year was widely reported. Given the fact that he was only vice-director of a department in the ministry, the huge amount of publicity about his job change seemed odd.

Many journalists agree that Wang's candor and truthfulness are unusual among government spokespersons. In press conferences, he never said "no comment" or read documents.

"As a spokesperson, he never dismissed journalists after making a few perfunctory remarks or steered clear of the crucial point. He had the courage to express his likes and dislikes, which made him different from many other officials who hide their real thoughts to make their remarks appear flawless," writes the Nanjing-based Yangtze Evening newspaper.

Wang made no bones about the fact that he was sorry to give up the government spokesman's role. "I am in tearless grief," he said. He also asked the media to protect and cherish good spokespersons because they are "a rare species like the giant panda". His remarks reinforced public speculation that he was ousted from the post for being too outspoken and talking too much.

As president of the publishing house, his position is equal to director of a department in a ministry, a notch higher than his last post. But he realizes that many would think that he has been sidelined.

"Frankly, I had no idea about the Language and Culture Press when I received the transfer order. Among the three publishing houses owned by the Ministry of Education, this is the smallest," he says. "Therefore, in the eyes of many people, I was demoted."

Wang admits that some of his colleagues advised him not to talk too much and risk jeopardizing his career, but he says he knows what he is doing.

"I worked in the MOE for 11 years. I knew the rules of being an official. I am not stupid. But I wanted to be a spokesperson with emotions instead of being only a government mouthpiece."

Wang argues he is always open to criticism but cannot accept the judgment that as a spokesman he was unprofessional and crossed the line.

"Some said a spokesperson should only deliver government policies and information and avoid expressing opinions. I do not agree.

"I know the safe way for a spokesman is to read out the documents at a press conference, but I will never do that. I firmly believe that I should defend the State's position in my own language despite the risks," he says.

After a five-year tenure as MOE spokesman, Wang left a legacy of quotes, all bearing the imprint of his character. Those comments frequently got him in trouble. They have appeared on the Internet in a compilation titled The Quotations of Wang.

For example, talking of college graduates who, not having found appropriate jobs, went into pig farming, Wang advised the media: "No need for such a fuss about it. If someone goes into pig farming after acquiring so much knowledge, he is likely to be a creative pig farmer."

His response to the complaint that certain universities charged very high fees was that colleges were like garments stores. "There are clothes costing 10,000 yuan ($1,460) a piece, and there are those costing just around 100 yuan," he said.

The "careless" comments made while chatting casually with a few journalists drew vehement public criticism once they were reported.

Securities Review, published in the southernmost island province Hainan, issued a commentary, saying that Wang should resign because he did not see the reality of China's education and was not worthy of holding a spokesman's post.

In another case, he had nearly turned himself into an enemy of the media by calling some of them "ignorant".

This was in response to media campaigns inviting public donations to fund poor children's education in 2006. Accusing the media of playing up individual cases, Wang said the government had already allocated tens of billions of yuan to help poor students and set up a well-structured system to finance them.

"Some media show no interest in those key State policies like education loans for needy students. This, to put it mildly, is a case of ignorance. And to put it more seriously, I think it shows a lack of due respect for State policies," Wang said at a press conference.

For this he came under a barrage of media and public attacks, some of them calling for his resignation. But Wang shows no regret. "I wanted to provoke the media. The debate over who is ignorant is just the surface. The core point is the policy."

Wang says he had devoted great passion and energy to introduce the policy, which could benefit millions of poor students, and he hoped it would be explained to the public through the media. He was indignant when some media appeared to ignore it.

"As long as the policy is publicized and thoroughly understood, I do not fear being cut to pieces," he says.

In contrast to the mixed public response, Wang's performance was appreciated by many Chinese scholars who helped train government spokespersons.

"Journalists expected the unexpected from Wang," says Li Xiguang, executive president of the School of Journalism and Communication of the Tsinghua University. Li and his colleagues helped train China's first group of government spokespersons, including Wang, appointed after the SARS crisis in 2003.

"In a communication environment that is full of monotonous official jargons, Wang could feed journalists with satisfying quotes," Li says.

Zhou Qingan, a researcher with the International Communication Center of Tsinghua University, says most Chinese government spokespersons are officials who do not have other career backgrounds. But Wang is a former teacher and reporter so he understands China's education at the grassroots and knows how the media operates.

Wang worked in a high school in Beijing, teaching Chinese for five years. He also worked as a journalist in a Beijing newspaper for seven years before joining the MOE in 1998.

Zhou says he frequently discusses Wang's case with other officials as part of spokespersons' training courses. "Even though some of his comments triggered debate and criticism, we cannot deny that he actually improved public understanding of the country's educational policies.

"Wang has done some good in delivering government information in a language that the public appreciates. Although his performance might not be perfect, I personally think such attempts should be encouraged. There are too few spokespersons like him in China."

In Wang's dictionary, the term "low profile" does not exist. Even as people expected him to drop off the radar following the job change, his TV appearances have increased. He is either debating educational problems or hosting his own talk show on related issues.

His 30-minute program is on Saturday nights on the Heilongjiang Satellite TV. He is perhaps the first incumbent official to host a show in China.

Wang admits that hosting the show is "extremely difficult". He has drawn flak for seeking fame and his motives were questioned but he remains unruffled.

"Education concerns every family. Talking about education is not some people's privilege. Why can't I talk about it? And what's wrong with wanting fame? Why should I have to live in obscurity?" he says.

He is also writing blogs on key Chinese websites, commenting on social issues and educational topics. Over the past year, he has written more than 100 posts. His articles attract tens of thousands of visits and comments.

His book, For the Sake of Openness, contains his views of China's spokesperson system. "Being a spokesperson made me realize the importance, benefits, bitterness and difficulty associated with openness. Openness refers to not only making policies and sharing information, but also having an open mentality and concept."

Wang admits that he is still passionate about a spokesperson's vocation. Whenever he sees a spokesperson reading documents, or humming and hawing when answering questions, he has an impulse to jump on the stage and take his place.

But he does not want to go back to being a spokesperson. "The last thing I want to do is repeat myself," he says.

"My life has moved on. I hope I can experience different posts and take more risks. That's why I spend all my spare time hosting TV programs and writing books and blogs.

"I am not afraid of challenges. I am afraid of stagnancy."