Recently, a series of officials in Hefei have fallen from grace, with Dong Zhaoli, former chairman of the Hefei Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, being investigated on March 24, 2026, for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. Dong Zhaoli had previously worked together with Wu Cunrong, a senior official who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment.
On March 24, 2026, the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission reported based on information from the Anhui Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision that Dong Zhaoli, former secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Hefei Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Public information indicates that Dong Zhaoli, born in August 1953 in Lujiang, Anhui Province, has held various positions in the military and political departments, as well as in the organization departments of the party. He served as the deputy party secretary and director of the Party School of the Hefei Municipal Committee from January 2008 to January 2016.
Dong Zhaoli and Wu Cunrong, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment, had worked together in the Hefei officialdom.
On March 20, 2026, Wu Cunrong, former secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first instance for bribery. Wu Cunrong was placed under investigation during his tenure as chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference on December 16, 2024.
According to official announcements, from 2006 to 2024, Wu Cunrong utilized his positions, including vice secretary and mayor of the Hefei Municipal Committee, as well as other roles in Anhui Province and Chongqing City, to provide assistance to others in project planning approvals, land use changes, and business operations, in exchange for illegal gains totaling over 127 million yuan.
Public records show that Wu Cunrong, born in May 1963 in Wuhu, Anhui Province, served in various leadership positions before his downfall.
Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, has been undergoing continuous cleansing of its officialdom over the past year, with officials falling one after another.
According to announcements from the Anhui Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Hefei Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Lu Jun, deputy secretary of the Hefei Municipal Committee, was taken down from his position on November 18, 2025. Lu Jun, born in February 1967, had served in various roles in Hefei municipal government.
Gong Yan, former deputy secretary-general of the Hefei Municipal Government, was placed under investigation on August 1, 2025. Gong Yan, a female born in February 1975, had previously held positions in several government agencies in Hefei.
Furthermore, Zhang Shenping, former deputy director and researcher-level official of the Hefei Municipal Health Commission, was taken down on January 30, 2026. Xu Shengbin, former secretary of the Party Committee and director of the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, was investigated on December 31, 2025. Du Pingtai, former deputy director of the Hefei Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee, was also investigated on April 18, 2025.