In Hebei, Bazhou, an entrepreneur was wrongly imprisoned and died in jail over a decade ago. His grandson, who was only 17 years old at the time, vowed to uncover the truth for his grandfather and worked hard to study law at university. Recently, he has finally cleared his grandfather’s name of wrongdoing. The next step for him and his family is to initiate accountability procedures.
According to reports from mainland China’s “Tonight News” and others, in 2007, Zhang Baocai from Bazhou, Hebei, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for “contract fraud.” In July 2012, while serving his sentence at Jincheng Prison at the age of 70, Zhang Baocai passed away due to a sudden heart attack.
“My grandfather always maintained his innocence. He entrusted me to go to a good university and wait for his return,” said Zhang Baocai’s grandson, Zhang Kunyu. “At 17 years old that year, I vowed to uncover the truth.”
So, after graduating from high school, Zhang Kunyu enrolled in a university to study law. After completing his undergraduate studies, he joined a law firm in Beijing and even took weekend exams to become a part-time graduate student at China University of Political Science and Law. In 2020, he began investigating his grandfather’s contract fraud case.
It is understood that in 1999, Zhang Baocai, who was engaged in metal processing business in Bazhou, went to Beijing for opportunities and registered a Sino-foreign joint venture trade and economic company. Later, he met Sun, the head of the China Project Department of the Australia Tian Sheng International Trade and Finance Consortium Limited (hereinafter referred to as the Tian Sheng Consortium), and signed a contract with him to undertake a project for 2.2 million sets of isolation fences, which was then subcontracted to manufacturers. However, after the investors paid, Sun embezzled the funds citing the “international financial crisis,” resulting in losses for multiple investors.
In 2006, four people involved in the isolation fence project, including Liu, saw no hope of a refund and sued Zhang Baocai, but they did not mention Sun or the various companies controlled by Sun.
Although Zhang Baocai himself and his lawyer provided a large amount of written and video evidence at the time to prove the existence of Sun as well as the relevant companies in Australia and Beijing, and also proved that Zhang Baocai did not actually possess the corresponding contract funds, the relevant judicial officers turned a blind eye. Not only did they not investigate the flow of funds, they also did not look into Sun and his companies, but instead sentenced Zhang Baocai to 14 years in prison.
After Zhang Kunyu found the key person involved in his grandfather’s case, Sun, in December 2022, Zhang Baocai’s family filed an appeal requesting a retrial decision. On August 25, 2023, the Taiyuan Intermediate People’s Court initiated a retrial. On December 15, 2023, the Taiyuan Intermediate People’s Court revoked the original judgment and remanded it for a retrial.
On October 28, 2025, the case was heard in court. Sun admitted to receiving part of the money from Zhang Baocai. The defense lawyer asserted that Zhang Baocai, as an intermediary, transferred all the funds involved to the subcontractor Sun and did not illegally possess the funds.
On January 14, 2026, the Yinzhe District People’s Court in Taiyuan City ruled Zhang Baocai innocent. After nineteen years, Zhang Baocai’s grandson finally cleared his name for him.