On September 11, Chinese internet celebrity Dong Guangming, known by his online alias “Iron Head”, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for extortion in the first instance. Previously, he had gained attention for vandalizing facilities related to the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan and had received public “endorsement” from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. From being a “anti-fraud” blogger to a criminal defendant, Dong Guangming’s experiences have once again sparked public attention.
According to reports from media outlets such as “Red Star News” and “See News”, on the afternoon of September 11, the extortion case involving the internet celebrity “Iron Head” was sentenced in the first instance at the Binjiang District Court in Hangzhou. “Iron Head” was sentenced to 8 years in prison for multiple charges in the case.
“Iron Head” had gained popularity previously for exposing issues like the “five-ounce scales” at the Sanya seafood market and reporting on irregular tutoring practices at New Oriental. Since 2023, he had been consistently posting short videos exposing what he claimed to be fraudulent activities, including scams related to gold jewelry giveaways, elderly health products, and other consumer malpractices, quickly amassing millions of followers.
However, as his influence grew, so did the disputes between him and some businesses and influencers. In October 2023, he had announced his intention to expose irregularities in the New Oriental Selection. In response, New Oriental Selection stated that he had distorted facts under the guise of “anti-fraud” and maliciously attempted to “safeguard rights”, and they had sent a lawyer’s letter as a result.
The incident that ultimately led to his involvement in a criminal case was an extortion incident in May 2024.
On August 27, 2024, the Binjiang District Branch of the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau issued a police report stating that Dong, Xue, Xu, and others were under investigation for suspicion of extortion. These individuals were accused of conspiring in May 2024 to blackmail a goods-carrying livestreamer by threatening to expose damaging information unless they handed over hundreds of grams of gold, promising “protection” in return. After several negotiations, the livestreamer transferred a large sum of money to a designated account. At that time, Dong and others were subjected to criminal coercive measures.
According to reports from “Extreme News”, there was a circulating online document showing that during the investigation of an extortion case, the Binjiang District Branch of the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confiscated 3 Apple phones, 1 mobile hard drive, and 59 supermarket cards with denominations of 100 yuan each. Prior notifications had confirmed that “Iron Head” had indeed been brought under control.
Over two years later, on September 11, the court announced that he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for multiple charges in the extortion case.
Before the extortion case, “Iron Head” had attracted attention due to his involvement in the Yasukuni Shrine incident in Japan.
On the night of May 31, 2024, “Iron Head” urinated on a pillar near the entrance of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, and wrote the word “Toilet” in red spray paint on a stone pillar engraved with the shrine’s name. The footage of this incident was later uploaded to Chinese social media.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, three Chinese men were involved in the incident. Japanese authorities subsequently launched an investigation, resulting in the arrest and trial of one man residing in Japan, while “Iron Head” and another accomplice returned to China. Japan issued an arrest warrant for them and listed them as wanted individuals.
On June 3, 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson did not explicitly condemn the actions but instead urged Japan to “reflect on its history of aggression” during a press conference regarding the incident. This move stirred controversy among Japanese public opinion and some Chinese netizens.
In December of the same year, the Japanese prosecution sought a one-year prison sentence for the Chinese defendants involved in the case. The prosecution argued that their actions of defacing the pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine clearly defaced the appearance of the structure.
With the unresolved controversies surrounding his actions in Japan and facing criminal charges of extortion in China, “Iron Head” has once again become the center of public discourse following the first-instance verdict handed down by the Hangzhou court on September 11.