In a recent incident in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a deputy district chief and a senior executive of a state-owned enterprise were accused of sexually assaulting a female employee during a drinking session, causing serious harm to her. Following the escalation of the incident, it was rumored online that Zhao Haifeng, a senior executive of the involved state-owned enterprise Zhejiang Company, was dismissed from his position. Some media outlets have exposed the dark side of the real estate industry known as “sacrifice at drinking sessions.”
According to a report by “Xin Huanghe,” an industry insider revealed that the state-owned enterprise China Merchants Shekou has dismissed Zhao Haifeng from his position as the general manager of its Zhejiang company. Reports indicate that Zhao Haifeng is currently under criminal detention by the police.
It was reported that in July this year, during a business dinner in Hangzhou, Zhao Haifeng allegedly harmed a woman and is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities, with the involvement of other individuals in the incident.
Public records show that Zhao Haifeng, born in 1980, graduated from Tsinghua University and was a high school entrance exam top scorer in Jiangsu province.
Revealed in an article by “Yi Real Estate,” which investigates the backgrounds of journalists, the shocking incident took place in July this year, when the state-owned enterprise China Merchants Bureau Group collaborated with the local state-owned enterprise Jiande Building and Development Real Estate (Jiande Real Estate Group Co., Ltd.) to acquire the Binjiang Erbao South plot in Hangzhou for about 6 billion yuan. To celebrate acquiring the land, these two state-owned enterprises held a “celebration banquet” at a restaurant named Da Zhong Yue Rong Xuan in Hangzhou, attended by Ma Zhenggang, the general manager of Jiande Real Estate’s Hangzhou branch, Zhao Haifeng, the general manager of China Merchants Shekou in Hangzhou, and Hangzhou Binjiang District Deputy District Chief Yu Tingdong.
The victim, a woman surnamed Li, was a young employee of Jiande Real Estate who was arranged by her supervisor Ma Zhenggang to rush to the banquet venue after work. Upon arrival, the private room already had seven or eight male leaders. Li was immediately asked to “drink up,” using the term for toast persuasion, and was forced to consume more than half a liter of Maotai liquor within a short period of time, leading to severe intoxication and confusion.
Several self-media outlets in the real estate industry previously disclosed that after the dinner, the woman was taken to a commercial KTV downstairs. Yu Tingdong and Zhao Haifeng allegedly assaulted and pressured the woman. The woman resisted fiercely and was subjected to rough pushing, shoving, and violent treatment, resulting in the rupture of her spleen and kidneys.
Regarding the cause of the woman’s injuries, there are two versions circulating online. One version claims that Zhao Haifeng and Yu Tingdong sexually assaulted the woman, causing her spleen and kidneys to be seriously damaged; the other version states that officials present attempted to collectively assault the woman, who resisted intensely. Zhao Haifeng, feeling humiliated, kicked the woman in anger.
Rumors circulated online that Zhao Haifeng proposed a settlement of 1 million yuan, which was rejected by the woman.
On August 14, it was discovered that the resume of Yu Tingdong, the deputy district chief of Binjiang District in Hangzhou, had been removed from the official website. There were also rumors that Ma Zhenggang, the general manager of Jiande Real Estate’s Hangzhou branch, had been “dismissed,” although the official announcement of dismissal has not been issued by the Jiande Group.
The article in “Yi Real Estate” criticized the incident, stating that under the logic of “who gets the land, who controls the game,” officials who control the land and approval process have absolute dominance. Female employees in the workplace often become sacrificial victims in the political and commercial interests chain.
Binjiang District is known as the “number one digital economy district” in Hangzhou. Developers have previously mentioned that the district has the “highest land price, strictest control, and most detailed approval process.” Binjiang District holds a dominant position over developers, and Yu Tingdong, responsible for urban construction, land, and project approval, is an indispensable figure for real estate developers.
On August 17, prominent Chinese journalist Li Weiao posted on Weibo, questioning the occurrence of two incidents where government officials in Hangzhou participated in dinners and subsequently infringed upon female guests. The first case involved Deng Fuguo, the deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Financial Office, during a dinner in Cixi City, Ningbo, while the recent incident involved Yu Tingdong, the vice district chief of Binjiang District in Hangzhou. Li Weiao further raised questions about these occurrences.
In late May, Deng Fuguo, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee Financial Office, sexually assaulted a female official during a dinner hosted by Zhang Cheng, the mayor of Cixi City under the administration of Ningbo, which subsequently sparked public outrage. Under public pressure, on June 5, meetings were held by the Zhejiang Provincial and Cixi City Committees to hold the relevant officials accountable.
On June 11, Caixin reported that the resume of Deng Fuguo, the deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee Financial Office, had been removed.
Deng Fuguo, aged 49, previously worked in several government departments in Zhejiang province and is a former subordinate of Cai Qi, a Politburo Standing Committee member and director of the Central Committee’s General Office. Cai Qi served as a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Minister of the Organization Department, during which Deng Fuguo held various positions, including deputy researcher in the third office of the Organization Department, for nearly four years under Cai Qi.
Netizens commented, “When those in power are corrupt, what can be expected?” and “At first glance, it seems like individual cases, but upon closer inspection, the issue seems widespread.”