PEOPLE
Vol.22 No.1 2008
Stan Z. Li: Rolling face
recognition
Among the galaxy of research and development organizations in northwest Beijing’s
Zhongguancun district, known as China’s Silicon Valley, two are especially well-known
to IT researchers: Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), and, within a few blocks on the other
side of the street, the CAS Institute of Automation (CASIA). While most people in Chinese
scientific organizations strive to move to a large foreign counterpart, Dr. Stan Z. Li (LI
Ziqing) moves against the stream.
Both unassuming and energetic, Dr. Li currently works as head of the Center for
Biometrics and Security Research (CBSR) at the National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition,
which is affiliated to CASIA. Before joining CASIA in 2004 through the prestigious Bairen
Program, he was an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
and a researcher at MSRA. His research interests, Dr. Li says, lie in face recognition
and intelligent video surveillance. It is his lifetime goal to develop the world’s best face
recognition system and promote its application all over the globe.
Best yet face recognition technology ：
AuthenMetric F1
Given the sad fact that terrorism is a threat
to all major international events, face recognition
technology is attracting more and more attention as
a means of enhancing security at the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games. During the National S&T Week
in May, 2007, the AuthenMetric F1, an intelligent
surveillance system of infrared face recognition, won
high praise for its developers — Dr. Stan Li and his
research group.
Sitting in his office on the 12th floor of the
Automation Building, Stan talks about his team with
pride and satisfaction. “Now my group has expanded
to occupy the entire 12th floor,” he said with a smile.
This expansion has all happened since his arrival less
than three years ago and his reform of the group’s
research orientation. Stan now leads the largest
research body on biometric studies in China and one
of the largest in the world.
But his proudest achievement is the fact that he
and his team have successfully developed worldleading face recognition technology using near
infrared (NIR) light and built the AuthenMetric
system.
A facial recognition system is a computerdriven application of automatically identifying or
verifying a person from a still or video image by
comparing selected facial features in the input image
with a facial database. Like other biometrics, such as
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fingerprint or iris recognition, it is typically used in
security systems. Researchers have spent decades of
effort to develop a handful of refined algorithms for
human facial description: the present technological
bottleneck lies in the variation of subjects’ head
positions and ambient light.
According to Dr. Li, the NIR face recognition
system is cutting-edge and more efficient than the
more common visible-light technology. It overcomes
a major obstacle that limits the performance of
existing commercial products, i.e. that of lighting
variation. By adding NIR emitters to the camera, the
human face can be seen clearly in a dim light or even
in complete darkness. AuthenMetric F1 not only
achieves higher recognition accuracy than any other
Vol.22 No.1 2008
face or fingerprint recognition system, but can also
“see through” facial disguises.
“I believe the Authenmetric F1 to be the best
of its kind in the world by far,” Stan remarks with a
confident smile.
His confidence is well grounded. Since June
2005, AuthenMetric F1 has been installed for
automatic immigration checking at the ShenzhenHong Kong border, the world’s busiest border
crossing point, and the system has stood the test of
an average flow of 600,000 crossings every day.
With a recognition rate of over 99%, the time needed
for a crossing was reduced to only six seconds.
The technology is also being used for treasury
management by the People’s Bank of China.
Microsoft taught me a lot, but I had to leave for my dreams ’
’
“Among domestic companies making face
recognition systems, there are three to five top rivals
who are also world leaders,” Stan continues. “We
frequently share ideas with each other, and I hope our
efforts will result in a booming market in China and
around the world.”
Three years ago, Stan left MSRA for CASIA
with exactly the same hope, although to some people
his decision seems surprising, and even unwise.
“But nothing can keep me away from my dream,
even though MSRA can provide me with a better
environment.”
During his four years at MSRA, Stan evolved
from a free mind of academia to an applicationoriented researcher. He discovered his research
interest in biometrics, and figured out the world’s first
real-time multi-position face tracking system.
What’s more, the Eye-CU face recognition
system he had developed at MSRA was demonstrated
by Bill Gates during a CNN interview. “…Things
like face recognition are new pieces of work,” said
Mr. Gates in an interview with CNN journalist James
Hattori on March 1, 2002.
He also co-edited with Prof. Anil K. Jain the
Handbook of Face Recognition, the first of its kind
for global learners.
H o w e v e r, t h e f a v o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s a n d
atmosphere at MSR was not enough for Stan: “After
all, Microsoft is an enterprise, which means that the
research must be linked with products. Unfortunately,
biometrics and security are not in Microsoft’s product
portfolio.”
“My goal is the research, development and
commercialization of face recognition and intelligent
video surveillance technologies and make them into
real applications.” Stan’s great passion can be read
from his face, the happiness of doing something that
one really loves to do.
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Vol.22 No.1 2008
Artistic life of a scientist
“I will dedicate my life to research work. But if
I had another chance, I would undoubtedly choose
music as my life career. ” Stan is always aware of
what he wants.
Besides his everyday work, Stan loves music,
literature and climbing hills. These interests have
kept him energetic and
youthful, despite his
many years of hard
work and entry into
middle age. In the late
1960s, he was sent to the
countryside as a middleschool student to live and
work with peasants. He
served as a technician in
a factory after returning
to the city, took the first
National College Entrance
Examination after the
Cultural Revolution, and
then studied and worked
at the National University
of Defense Technology as
an army officer. Later, he
But to his disappointment, the courses at university
were far from what he had imagined. “From then on,
I seldom went to classes. I preferred reading novels
in the library, or roaming alone thinking to myself
various artistic issues.” He even composed songs and
wrote a novel.
received his PhD from Surrey University in the UK.
As the conversation goes deeper, the topics
are no longer limited to face recognition or video
surveillance technologies. Instead, Stan moves on
to talk passionately about classical musicians such
as Bach and Debussy, as well as some modern and
contemporary Chinese writers. His learned references
to such terms as classicism, Vanguard Literature and
Magic Realism show that there is a profound artistic
sensitivity in this highly rational scientist. He even
runs a music station called “Apollo in Beijing.” Stan
calls himself a “rolling scientist,” for he likes to listen
to rock-and-roll, especially when doing heavy work
like mopping the floor!
As youngster, Stan’s dream was to study radio
and electronics. At the age when most Chinese had
never heard of Hi-Fi, he made his own Hi-Fi system.
well worth the time and energy, I will not hesitate to
grab the chance.”
But most of his days are spent with two of his
great passions: working on his research files while
listening to music.
He misses the time he spent in Surrey. “At that
time, life was relaxed and simple, and my favorite
thing was to keep in close contact with the English
countryside and nature,” he recalled.
The hustle, bustle and air pollution in big cities
like Beijing are obviously a bad headache for Stan.
“I can hardly enjoy my life amid the madness, when
the way I have to work makes me lose a lot.” He
forced a smile. However, there is no doubt that he
will continue his march down the road of scientific
research to realize his ever more ambitious goals. It is
Time flies, and after
being a worker, farmer,
soldier and student,
Stan now has to be a
“businessman”. “I often
have to deal with the money,
spend time negotiating
projects and other trivial
things,” Stan said, laughing
at himself.
The funding for
research “is enough, but
I don’t bother to know
t h e e x a c t a m o u n t . To o
complicated, and seems a
waste of time,” he shrugged.
“However, if the project is
really attractive to me, and
the funding possibility is
all worthwhile for Dr. Stan Z. Li.

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