A video of a ride-hailing driver has recently gone viral on the internet. The driver, while picking up passengers in Xining, Qinghai Province, has been suggested to bear a striking resemblance to Wang Xuewen, the former Director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, who was dismissed in 2023 due to involvement in an alcohol-related incident.
Internet users who took ride-hailing services in Xining, Qinghai recently reported that the driver provided detailed explanations about the local customs and practices during the journey. He used a mnemonic device like “East, West, South, North, plus Xining, and add a Huangguoshu” to explain regions such as Haixi, Haidong, Southern Qinghai, Northern Qinghai, Huangnan, Guoluo, Yushu, and more. The related video shows the driver’s thorough familiarity with Qinghai’s geography and tourist attractions.
After the video circulated online, some netizens compared the driver to Wang Xuewen and believed that they might be the same person. Major Chinese news portals like Sina and Netease, as well as some Hong Kong media, followed up with reports. However, as of now, neither Wang Xuewen nor Qinghai authorities have confirmed whether the driver in the video is indeed Wang Xuewen, and his identity remains unverified independently.
Public records indicate that Wang Xuewen previously served as the Party Secretary and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism until his dismissal in April 2023.
A turning point in his career came in December 2022 when Wang Xuewen and several officials held a dinner party with alcohol during a training session at the Qinghai Provincial Party School.
A report by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China in April 2023 revealed that Wang Xuewen and six other officials, including the Secretary-General of the Qinghai Provincial Government, Shi Cunwu, gathered for dinner and drinks at the dormitory of the party school. That evening, they consumed seven bottles of white wine, and Shi Cunwu even requested dishes from the government cafeteria and arranged for an official car to transport them to the party school. The following day, Shi Cunwu, absent from a relevant meeting due to drunkenness, was found dead in the dormitory.
The report stated that despite holding important leadership positions, the six individuals violated regulations by gathering for dinner and drinks during the training period after the Party’s 20th National Congress, resulting in serious consequences. Wang Xuewen was subsequently removed from his Party positions and dismissed from public office; while Shi Cunwu was expelled from the Party and stripped of his public duties.
This incident was later featured in a special anti-corruption program by the Communist Party of China. In the documentary, Wang Xuewen reflected on the drinking gathering by saying, “I attended a gathering that shouldn’t have happened at the wrong time and place.”
Following the video circulating on social media suggesting that the ride-hailing driver might be Wang Xuewen, some netizens expressed doubts, noting that “even if someone is dismissed, they are not fired but merely no longer leaders, still civil servants with salaries.”
As of now, whether the driver in the video is indeed Wang Xuewen remains to be further confirmed by the individual himself or the authorities.