On February 12th, it was officially reported that Chen Gang, former party secretary and director of the Performance Department at the Central Academy of Drama, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. He has voluntarily surrendered and is currently under investigation. Not long ago, Hao Rong, deputy secretary of the party committee and president of the Central Academy of Drama, also voluntarily surrendered and is under investigation.
Chen Gang, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Central Academy of Drama, comes from a family with a background in traditional Chinese opera. He has systematically studied Chinese traditional dramas such as Peking Opera, Huangmei Opera, Han Opera, and Chu Opera, as well as Western dances like jazz and tap dancing.
He graduated from the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama for his undergraduate degree and from the Directing Department for his postgraduate degree. He has also conducted research and performed in musicals with the Japanese Shiki Theatre Company. Chen has served as a national expert in arts and sciences, a member of the China Dramatists Association, a council member of the Beijing Film Association, a member of the China Film Directors’ Guild, and the deputy director of the Academic Committee of the Central Academy of Drama.
On December 19, 2025, Hao Rong, deputy secretary of the party committee and president of the Central Academy of Drama, voluntarily surrendered and was investigated. Hao Rong graduated from the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama in 1995. He remained at the school after graduation to teach, later pursued a master’s degree as a graduate student. He held various positions such as head of the dialogues research department, deputy head of the Performance Department, party branch secretary of the Performance Department, head of the Performance Department, assistant to the president of the Central Academy of Drama, and vice president. In November 2018, he was appointed as the president of the Central Academy of Drama.
Following Hao Rong’s downfall, netizens uncovered a series of controversies at the Central Academy of Drama in recent years, implicating many popular celebrities. The most prominent issue was the “corruption-involved” criticism directed at the art entrance examinations. It was rumored online that the acceptance rate for the Performance Department at the Central Academy of Drama was 246:1, and every year numerous aspiring stars competed intensely for limited spots. However, questions have been raised about the fairness of the selection process. Apart from the alleged 500,000 RMB “passing fee,” it was also revealed that the art exam scores of candidates for two consecutive years were suspiciously similar, both occurring during Hao Rong’s tenure.