On the eve of New Year’s Eve, thousands of people gathered at the Xinqi gas station in Zoucheng City, Jining City, Shandong Province. The reason was that the owner of the gas station had fled, leaving the people unable to cash out their fuel cards. According to victims, the number of people involved reached 20,000, with an estimated amount of over 100 million Chinese yuan.
Living near the gas station, Fang Yan (pseudonym) revealed to the reporter that she resides in a community next to the Xinqi Group. She mentioned that since it was convenient to drop off and pick up her child near the gas station, she obtained a recharge card during a promotion where she could recharge a certain amount and receive additional credit. She thought it was a good deal, so she recharged the card multiple times. Currently, she has over 10,000 yuan left on the card, but now feels cheated.
She said, “I recharged several times, thinking it was a good deal because we often drive out and the gas station is close to my home. I thought Xinqi Group was a reputable company and wouldn’t deceive people, but it turned out like this.”
Another victim, Yu Xiaoming (pseudonym), disclosed that she obtained a membership card during an event in early 2024 where she recharged 6,000 yuan and received 10,000 yuan. In 2025, the promotion changed to a “recharge a specific amount and get more” format. The gas station even introduced a 1,000 yuan deposit and offered a discount of 0.5 yuan per liter of fuel. Yu Xiaoming mentioned that the gas station constantly changed its promotional strategies, attracting many people to recharge at the station.
“Many people around me got membership cards, mostly recharging 10,000 or 20,000 yuan. People who recharged two to three thousand were rare; at least they recharged five to six thousand.”
On the afternoon of December 31st, news spread that the gas station owner had fled, prompting cardholders to visit the gas station to register their information. Yu Xiaoming also went there. “On the night of December 31st, everyone was told to go and register. You had to write down your card number, phone number, license plate number, and the remaining value on a piece of paper and hand it over to the police on-site. About three to four thousand people went that evening.”
Yu Xiaoming stated that currently, around four to five thousand people have registered, and the registration process is ongoing. There are over ten WeChat groups established. Both she and Fang Yan mentioned that it was rumored that there were 20,000 members with a total involvement of over 100 million yuan.
Yu Xiaoming also revealed, “Because the gas station’s promotions were widely advertised, many truck drivers from surrounding areas like Jining and Liangshan also came to recharge their cards, with some recharging over a hundred thousand yuan, and even tens of thousands.”
It was reported that a few days before December 31st, there was a fuel shortage at the gas station, but the staff did not provide further information, and people had to queue up for refueling.
The most surprising move for the victims came on the morning of January 1st at 5 a.m. when Xinqi Group dispatched personnel to remove the signboard with the “Xinqi Group” logo from the gas station and the station manager claimed that the gas station had no connection with the Xinqi Group.
However, the victims did not accept this explanation. Yu Xiaoming pointed out that the gas pumps bore the “Xinqi Group” label, and the membership cards also displayed the “Xinqi Group” name.
“The Xinqi Group cannot just deny any relationship by saying you didn’t know. They used the group’s name and your location. If there was no connection, why did you allow them to put up your signboard? Everyone came here because of the group. If it was a private owner, we wouldn’t have so many people recharging.”
“If you say you don’t recognize us, then fine, but who knows what shady relationships are behind this? Where did the money go now? Surely, it was a trap they set together,” emphasized Yu Xiaoming.
The victims have been seeking justice for several days without any results. The police refused to file a case when they reported it, the hotline to the mayor went unanswered, and they were told to wait patiently. Their online posts and videos were restricted and deleted, leaving them feeling helpless.
After the incident gained attention, the Zoucheng City Bureau of Commerce and Market Supervision Bureau responded, stating that after coordination, the gas station had deleted the controversial notice posted on their WeChat official account and would no longer collect deposits.
The Xinqi Group, located in Zoucheng, the hometown of Mencius, is a village collective enterprise. Founded in 2006, the group currently holds fixed assets of 6 billion yuan. It has various industries under its umbrella, including real estate development, construction installation, commercial logistics, education technology, medical care, cultural tourism, and more. The group currently has over 300,000 square meters of commercial rental space, more than 1,500 permanent employees, and over 3,000 seasonal workers.
The reporter from Da Ji Yuan tried to contact the group via email for comments on the matter, but as of the publication deadline, no response was received.