Former Feng County Party Secretary Lou Hai in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for charges of bribery and abuse of power. This verdict marks Lou Hai’s first public appearance in over two years since his involvement in the “Iron Chain Woman” incident that led to his downfall as an official.
On December 18th, the Intermediate People’s Court of Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province publicly announced the verdict on Lou Hai’s bribery and abuse of power case. Lou Hai was sentenced to twelve years in prison and fined one million Chinese yuan (RMB).
According to the court, between May 2012 and February 2022, Lou Hai illicitly accepted over 14.29 million RMB in cash gifts while holding positions such as the Party Committee Member of Pizhou City, Party Committee Secretary of Pizhou Economic Development Zone, Feng County Governor, and Feng County Party Secretary. Out of the total amount, over 10.29 million RMB was not actually obtained by him.
Additionally, from the end of 2016 to 2018, during his tenure as Party Committee Member of Pizhou City, Party Committee Secretary of Pizhou Economic Development Zone, Feng County Governor, and Feng County Party Secretary, Lou Hai abused his power leading to a total loss of state-owned assets exceeding 147 million RMB.
Lou Hai was removed from his position in February 2022, and the recent verdict revealed that he was still engaged in illegal activities of illicit gain even after his dismissal.
Born in February 1976 in Jiangsu Province, Lou Hai started his career in his hometown and later held positions such as Deputy Secretary of Pizhou City Party Committee in 2016. He then served as Deputy Secretary and Governor of Feng County in 2017, before becoming the Party Secretary of Feng County in September 2019.
Lou Hai’s downfall was linked to the “Iron Chain Woman” incident in 2022. The incident, also known as the “Lock Chain Woman incident” or “Feng County Eight Children Mother incident,” began in January 2022 and garnered widespread media attention both domestically and internationally. However, due to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, related topics were suppressed by the Chinese authorities.
In a separate case before the court, a woman named Yang Xia, who was reportedly sold to Dongji Village in Huanou Town in Feng County, Xuzhou City, was found chained by her “husband” Dong Zhimin in a dilapidated house, where she gave birth to at least eight children over 22 years.
The “Iron Chain Woman” video went viral on social media platforms at the beginning of 2022, earning her the nickname. The incident sparked public outrage, shedding light on the dark reality of human trafficking and exposing the complicity of local governments in such heinous crimes.
Under mounting public pressure, the authorities in Xuzhou successively issued four reports, but the contradictory information failed to quell public anger, with critics accusing the officials of exacerbating the situation.
To appease public outrage, the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee of the Chinese Communist Party relieved Lou Hai of his duties as Feng County Party Secretary, along with other implicated officials.