According to the news released on January 24 by the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of China, Gong Wenmi, a former member of the Communist Party committee and deputy secretary-general of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently under investigation.
Gong Wenmi, 64 years old, previously served as a member of the Standing Committee and Minister of Organization of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee in Hunan, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Hunan Provincial Committee, deputy secretary-general of the provincial committee, deputy secretary of the Shaoyang Municipal Committee, acting mayor, and held the position of secretary of the Shaoyang Municipal Committee from 2016 to 2021. Subsequently, he was transferred to the position of member of the CCP committee and deputy secretary-general of the Hunan Provincial CPPCC, until his downfall in January 2025.
Prior to Gong Wenmi’s downfall, several of his subordinates were investigated, including Wang Yonghong, former member of the Standing Committee of the Shaoyang Municipal Committee and former Deputy Mayor, who was investigated in April 2024; Shen Zhiding, former Deputy Mayor of Shaoyang City, investigated in August 2024; and Qin Lijun, former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Shaoyang Municipal People’s Congress, investigated in January 2025.
During their time working under Gong Wenmi as the top leader in Shaoyang City, all three had worked as subordinates or partners with him.
According to reports from Shaoyang News website, in 2017, the 11th Second Plenary Session of the Shaoyang City Discipline Inspection Commission was held, where the then Secretary of the Municipal Committee, Gong Wenmi, delivered a speech of more than 14,700 words, emphasizing the fight against corruption.
In addition, an article published by “Shaoyang Daily” on May 16, 2016, titled “Shouldering the Heavy Responsibility of Accelerating Shaoyang’s Development – Secretary of the Municipal Committee Gong Wenmi Reports to Beijing Shortly after Taking Office,” stated that shortly after taking office in early April, Gong Wenmi rushed to Beijing from May 10 to 13, visiting nine ministries including the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Central Propaganda Department, the Central Organization Department, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Railway Administration, and the China Railway Corporation. He also met a group of experts and scholars during his visit.
After the article was published, some netizens jokingly referred to it as the classic “run to the ministry for money and a photo op.” The netizen also summarized the times and headlines of Gong Wenmi’s multiple trips to Beijing to “run the ministry” as reported by local media.
These reports not only detailed the ministries Gong Wenmi visited and the purpose of his visits but also revealed the identities of the leaders of the central ministries he met, such as their hometown relationships and hierarchical relationships, thereby making the local “Beijing relationship map” public.
In response, commentators from the outside world remarked that “Shaoyang Daily” intended to praise the new Secretary of the Municipal Committee in a positive light, but inadvertently exposed the blatant financial relationships between local officials and central ministries under the Chinese Communist Party system.
Currently, the electronic version of the newspaper and all reprinted articles have been deleted.