Breaking News: Former Vice Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and former Mayor Huang Qifan has been taken down today, confirming earlier rumors. There have been widespread rumors circulating online suggesting that Huang Qifan’s case is related to the Chongqing officialdom, and that he may have a love child with Chongqing female lawyer Peng Jing. However, these rumors have not been confirmed at this time.
The news of the downfall of Huang Qifan, the former Vice Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and former Mayor, was confirmed on the evening of October 13. Prior to this confirmation, there were rumors circulating online claiming that Huang Qifan and the director of a Chongqing law firm, Peng Jing, have a love child.
Peng Jing, born in September 1968 with ancestral roots in Sichuan’s Xichang and born in Kuitun, Xinjiang, is the founding partner and director of the Jingsheng Law Firm in Chongqing.
Established in February 1996, the Jingsheng Law Firm is a large comprehensive law firm headquartered in the Liberation Monument commercial district of Chongqing’s Yuzhong District.
Peng Jing is a member of the 12th, 13th, and 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a standing committee member of the 3rd CPPCC in Chongqing, and the chairman of the Chongqing Lawyers Association. Peng Jing is often referred to as a “red-top lawyer,” as she is frequently hired by various government agencies and publicly traded companies as their legal advisor.
A commentator named “A Di Sheng” posted on X that the growth of Peng Jing and the Jingsheng Law Firm coincided significantly with Huang Qifan’s entry into and leadership in Chongqing. Huang Qifan joined the core decision-making body in Chongqing in 2002, overseeing industries, finance, economics, and state-owned assets for an extended period, and served as the Mayor of Chongqing from 2010 to 2016. During this period, Chongqing began to strengthen the government’s legal advisor system. Huang Qifan proposed the universal establishment of a legal advisor system in government work reports while Peng Jing, as a national CPPCC member, advocated for government procurement of legal services from lawyers to become the norm. Subsequently, the Jingsheng Law Firm extensively entered the legal services network of Chongqing government departments, development zones, and state-owned enterprises.
According to Caixin’s report, the Jingsheng Law Firm has been involved in major projects such as the landing of Hewlett-Packard, state-owned enterprise restructuring, and the Western Land and Sea New Passage. These projects span investment, land, finance, state-owned assets, and administrative approvals, representing areas where local power and commercial capital intersect significantly.
A Di Sheng stated that there is currently no reliable evidence proving the existence of a special private relationship between Huang Qifan and Peng Jing, nor is there evidence that Huang Qifan directly designated the Jingsheng Law Firm to handle relevant business. Simply having overlapping periods of service, attending public events in the same place, or having business dealings related to the city government does not imply a relationship of interest exchange. However, there are institutional intersections between the two that deserve further investigation.
Caixin’s website reported on April 29 that multiple sources confirmed that Peng Jing, the founding partner and director of the Jingsheng Law Firm in Chongqing, was taken away by the relevant authorities on April 19. Peng Jing’s phone was turned off, and there was no response on WeChat. It is alleged that she is suspected of being involved in a stablecoin bribery and money laundering case.
Peng Jing herself is a second-generation official, using her mother’s surname, with her father being the former Standing Committee member of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and former Deputy Mayor, Xiao Zuxiu (deceased). Insiders have revealed that Peng Jing’s professional level as a lawyer is average. In fact, she did not graduate from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law on time; she obtained her diploma later. The reason for avoiding public exposure in the past mainly stemmed from her father’s position.
Peng Jing’s brother, Xiao Ling, led the Chongqing Xinhua Bookstore Group for 16 years until January 2024 when he stepped down from his positions as the party committee secretary, chairman, and general manager of the group, transitioning to a first-grade specialist role. Xiao Ling was also taken down on the evening of March 27, 2026. However, insiders disclosed that Peng Jing’s involvement in the case did not originate from her brother Xiao Ling.
According to Caixin’s report, lawyers from law firms are usually not taken away by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, but insiders mentioned that “Peng Jing’s network of relationships is extensive, with her cases involving too many people.”
On March 20, Hu Henghua, the Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, was investigated. One day later, on March 21, Lin Xiucheng, the former richest man in Xiamen and the actual controller of Sanan Optoelectronics, was placed under detention. On the night of April 8, Sanan Optoelectronics announced that its Vice Chairman and General Manager, Lin Kechuang, had been detained. Lin Kechuang is Lin Xiucheng’s son-in-law.
On April 14, Luo Lin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and the Secretary of the Liangjiang New Area District Committee, was taken away and officially ousted on April 17. On April 19, Peng Jing, the founding partner and director of the Jingsheng Law Firm in Chongqing, was also taken away. Caixin’s report stated that Peng Jing, an official second-generation female lawyer who is also a CPPCC member, had connections with Luo Lin.
The report mentioned that in the case of Hu Henghua, Lin Xiucheng’s son-in-law, Lin Kechuang, transferred 30.8 million USDT (Tether, equivalent to about 210 million RMB, out of which 10 million was a handling fee in exchange) to Hu Henghua. After Hu Henghua’s investigation, his cold wallet was controlled, and the flow of funds from six other cold wallets owned by Lin Kechuang were traced; among them, a transfer of 15.5 million USDT made simultaneously with Hu Henghua was stated by Lin Kechuang to have been sent to Luo Lin. Investigating officers found a cold wallet at Peng Jing’s home, associated with Luo, which was considered to have a “special relationship.”
This ongoing saga in Chongqing underscores a series of interwoven connections between officials, business figures, and legal entities, raising questions about potential corruption and illicit dealings that require thorough scrutiny and investigation.