Since the fall of Zhu Shixi, the former party secretary of Nanyang City, Henan Province in May 2024, over the past two years, more than ten senior officials in Nanyang City have been investigated, including four party secretaries of Dengzhou City, namely Liu Zhaorui, Deng Junfeng, Wu Gang, and Jin Hao. Among them, Deng Junfeng and Liu Zhaorui were investigated on September 2nd and September 7th, 2026 respectively.
It is noteworthy that Dengzhou in Nanyang, Henan, is the ancestral home of the Communist Party leader Xi Jinping; Xi Jinping’s family has long had close interactions with the officialdom in Dengzhou, Nanyang.
Current party secretary of Henan Province Liu Ning, Governor Wang Kai, Deputy Party Secretary Zhang Wei, and Discipline Inspection Secretary Qin Guowen are not officials from Xi’s faction. Liu Ning is a junior schoolmate of Hu Jintao in the Water Conservancy Department at Tsinghua University. He previously served as the party secretary of the Guangxi Autonomous Region. Wang Kai also served in Guangxi for a long time and was a former colleague of Jiang Zemin’s close ally Guo Shengkun. Qin Guowen has strong ties to the influential factions controlled by Jiang Zemin, such as the Shanghai Gang, Jiangxi Gang, and Hunan Gang.
As Xi Jinping’s ancestral hometown of Nanyang and Dengzhou undergoes extensive cleansing, the internal power struggles behind the scenes and the political signals being sent out are intriguing.
On September 7th, 2026, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission reported that Liu Zhaorui, former party secretary and director of the Standing Committee of the Nanyang People’s Congress, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is under investigation.
According to public information, Liu Zhaorui, born in June 1958 in Xichuan County, Nanyang City, Henan, previously served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Nanyang Municipal Party Committee and the party secretary of Dengzhou City from November 2003 to August 2011.
On September 2, 2026, Deng Junfeng, former member of the Dengzhou City government and deputy mayor, took the initiative to surrender and accept the investigation. Deng Junfeng, born in March 1971, served in various positions in Nanyang City for a long time. He was the deputy party secretary and mayor of Dengzhou City from December 2019 to March 2022, and the party secretary of Dengzhou City from March 2022 to April 2026. Deng Junfeng, 55, was dismissed from his post on July 9, 2026.
Over a year ago, on April 21, 2025, Jin Hao, the deputy party secretary and secretary for political and legal affairs of Nanyang City, was investigated. From April 2019 to March 2022, Jin Hao served as the party secretary of Dengzhou City alongside Deng Junfeng, the mayor of Dengzhou at that time.
On September 8, 2025, Wu Gang, the party secretary and director of the Standing Committee of the Zhoukou Municipal People’s Congress in Henan Province, was investigated during his tenure. Wu Gang served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Nanyang Municipal Party Committee and the party secretary of Dengzhou City from October 2015 to March 2019.
According to the reports from the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, since the fall of Zhu Shixi, the party secretary of Nanyang City in May 2024, over the past two years, more than ten senior officials in Nanyang City have been investigated. Apart from the four party secretaries of Dengzhou City previously mentioned, other officials who have been investigated include, among others, Lu Hongwei, deputy party secretary and mayor of Nanyang City (June 16, 2026), Ayin, deputy mayor of Nanyang City (April 15, 2026), Yang Shuguang, a member of the party group of the Nanyang City government and deputy mayor (March 20, 2026), Yuguangdong, a member of the party group of the Nanyang City Standing Committee and deputy director (November 10, 2025), Gao Xianxin, deputy secretary of the party group of the Nanyang City Standing Committee and deputy director (March 14, 2025), Chang Qilin, deputy director of the Nanyang City Standing Committee (July 26, 2024), and the party secretary of the Nanyang City Committee, Zhu Shixi (May 14, 2024). Among them, Ayin and Yuguangdong once served as deputy mayors of Dengzhou City.
Nanyang City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Henan Province; Dengzhou is a county-level city under the administration of Nanyang City. According to public information, Dengzhou is also the birthplace of the “Deng” surname of the global Chinese community, and the hometown of the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing.
It is worth noting that Dengzhou is also the ancestral home of the Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
According to a report by “Hometown Henan” magazine in July 2017, the Xi’s ancestral hall, also known as the Xi family hall, is located in Xiyi Village, Shilin Town, Dengzhou City, Nanyang, Henan. This is the birthplace of the Xi family in Dengzhou and the ancestral home of Xi Zhongxun. The Xi family hall has a main hall, with two side halls. The main hall is dedicated to Xi Sijing, the founder of Xiyi Village, with a statue of Xi Sijing enshrined inside. The east side hall is the Xi Zhongxun Memorial Hall, and the west side hall is the Hall of Famous Xi Family Members. Above the main entrance of the hall hangs a plaque with the words “Dengzhou Xi Family” written by Xi Zhongxun’s wife, Qixin. In the courtyard is a sculpture created by Xi Jinping’s handwritten calligraphy.
The report states that in the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), Xi Yongsheng (also known as Xi Zuosheng), the fifteenth generation grandson of Xi Sijing and the grandfather of Xi Zhongxun, left Xiyi Village and moved to Fuping County in Shaanxi, forming the present Fuping Xi family village. Xi Zhongxun and his son Xi Jinping have been listed as famous figures in Dengzhou County Chronicles.
The CCP official media, “China News Network,” reported in February 2009 that the famous Chinese medicine doctor Zhao Qingli from Dengzhou, Nanyang, initiated the establishment of the Zhang Zhongjing National Medical University in 1984; during the preparation process of founding the university, he received active support from Xi Zhongxun. With Xi Zhongxun’s intervention, the then Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Zhu Xuefan, and the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Dong Qiwu, were invited as the honorary principals of Zhang Zhongjing National Medical University.
At the founding ceremony of Zhang Zhongjing National Medical University on February 6, 1985, Xi Jinping’s second son, Xi Yuanping, used the pseudonym “Baiyu” as the representative of Zhu Xuefan at the meeting and was invited to be a consultant at the school.
The report also revealed that in 1996, upon learning that Xi Zhongxun was in poor health, the then-party secretary of Dengzhou, Wang Yingjie, and the deputy party secretary, He Guoxiang, went to Shenzhen to visit him and were received by Xi Zhongxun’s family. During the conversation, Xi Zhongxun’s family expressed interest in the Xi family genealogy. Upon their return to Dengzhou, Wang Yingjie and He Guoxiang immediately sent someone to Xiyi Village to transcribe the Xi family genealogy. The people of Xiyi Village said that the genealogy was still being revised and wasn’t completed until 2000. After obtaining the Xi family genealogy, the then Mayor of Dengzhou, Liang Yuyin, happened to go to Xiamen for a meeting and brought the genealogy to Fuzhou, submitting it to Xi Jinping, who was the Governor of Fujian Province at that time.
Xi Zhongxun passed away on May 24, 2002. Following Xi Zhongxun’s wishes, a funeral committee notified Nanyang and Dengzhou. Vice Secretary of the Nanyang City Party Committee, Gao Deling, vice chairman of the Municipal People’s Congress, Liu Yunshe, and Secretary of the Dengzhou City Party Committee, Cui Zhenting, and Deputy Secretary, Sun Tianchao, went to Beijing to attend Xi Zhongxun’s memorial service.
After Xi Zhongxun’s passing, his wife Qixin and their children continued to maintain a connection with their hometown. In 2004, the revised Xi family genealogy was presented to Xi Zhongxun’s wife, Qixin, through the hands of the Dengzhou Mayor, Liu Shuhua, and the Chairman of the Political Consultative Conference, Yang Detang. Qixin inscribed the title of the genealogy as “Xi Family of Dengzhou” and expressed repeatedly that she would make time to return to her hometown during her lifetime.
In August 2017, the Hong Kong “Apple Daily” reported that after Xi Jinping came to power, Xi’s mother, Qixin, visited Xiyi Village in Shilin Town, Dengzhou City, Nanyang, and personally wrote the words “Xi Family of Dengzhou” on a large rock at the head of Xiyi Village. The rock featured a letter from Xi Jinping written during his tenure as the party secretary of Zhejiang Province to the village committee of Xiyi Village.
The commemorative booklet “Introduction to the Xi Family Ancestral Hall in Dengzhou” available locally includes the letter Xi Jinping wrote to Xiyi Village, embracing his ancestry, Qixin’s visit to Xiyi Village, writings from Xi Zhongxun caring for Dengzhou, and images and names of Xi Jinping in the Xi family genealogy.
According to local workers, the Henan authorities allocate hundreds of millions of yuan each year for the maintenance and expansion of the Xi family ancestral hall.
It is also reported publicly that after Xi Jinping came to power, he visited Henan Province in March and May 2014, September 2019, May 2021, October 2022, and May 2025. In May 2021, Xi Jinping specifically visited Nanyang City, Henan Province, and conducted research visits to the Medical Sage Temple, Nanyang Rose Expo Park, and Nanyang Yaoyibao Artemisia Products Co., Ltd.
Of note is that Qin Guowen, the current Secretary of the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, who has been leading the cleansing of officials in Henan, is not a member of Xi’s faction but has close ties to the influential Shanghai Gang associated with Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong.
According to his public resume, Qin Guowen was born in July 1967 in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, and is a fellow villager from Jiangxi province of the Shanghai Gang leader and former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Zeng Qinghong.
Qin Guowen graduated in Mining Engineering specializing in Ventilation and Safety from Xiangtan Mining College (now Hunan University of Science and Technology) in 1991. After his graduation, he stayed on campus for employment. In September 2002, Qin Guowen was appointed as the director of the Reform Office of the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences, and the following year, he was promoted to Vice President.
In March 2008, Qin Guowen was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Xiangxi Prefectural Committee and Director of the Propaganda Department, then in March of the following year, he concurrently served as the Secretary of the Jishou Municipal Party Committee. Xiangxi Prefecture is the hometown of Jiang Zemin’s mistress Song Zuying. According to public reports, Song Zuying had frequented Hunan and Xiangxi Prefecture several times, showing close ties to the officialdom there.
During Xu Shousheng’s term as Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee (March 2013 to August 2016), Qin Guowen transferred to Changsha in April 2014 and served as the Deputy Director of the Reform Office of the Hunan Provincial Committee; in March 2015, his position was clarified as being at the level of department director. Xu Shousheng, originally from Rudong County, Nantong City, served as the County Chief and Secretary of the County Party Committee, Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Lianyungang City, Deputy Secretary of the Nanjing Provincial Party Committee, and other positions, being a heavyweight of the Jiangsu Gang.
During the term of Du Jiahao as Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee (August 2016 to November 2020), Qin Guowen was promoted in November 2017 to Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee while serving as a full-time secretary of Du Jiahao for three years. Du Jiahao’s ancestral home is Ningbo City, Ninghe County, Zhejiang Province. Having been in politics in Shanghai for 37 years, he has held various positions such as Secretary of Songjiang District, Secretary of Yangpu District, and in April 2003, he was appointed as Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Pudong New District Party Committee. After December 2007, he held positions such as Deputy Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee, Executive Deputy Governor, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Deputy Governor of Heilongjiang Province.
When Xu Dazhe was Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee (November 2020 to October 2021), Qin Guowen was transferred to be Secretary of the Hengyang Municipal Party Committee in July 2021. Xu Dazhe came from the military industrial system of the CPC and served as the Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee for less than a year before stepping down abruptly. There were continuous rumors about his dismissal, and he was relieved of his position as a national deputy in the National People’s Congress on October 28, 2025.
During the term of Zhang Qingwei as Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee (October 2021 to March 2023), Qin Guowen was promoted in July 2022 to a member of the Provincial Government Party Committee and Deputy Governor of Henan Province, serving as the deputy to Governor Mao Weiming. Mao Weiming had long been serving in the Jiangxi hometown of Jiang Zemin, and Zeng Qinghong, and he held various positions such as the Deputy Secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Government Party Group, Executive Deputy Governor of the Province, etc.
After Shen Xiaoming was transferred from Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee to Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee in March 2023, Qin Guowen was promoted to a member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of the United Front Work Department in January 2024, serving as Shen Xiaoming’s chief steward. Shen Xiaoming was from Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, and served in various positions in Shanghai’s officialdom. He served as the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai and the Secretary of the Xuhui District Party Committee, among other roles. He also served as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and District Committee Secretary of Pudong New District.
Since Qin Guowen took office in August 2025, more than sixty officials have fallen in Henan Province, including seven city-level officials in Nanyang, which includes three party secretaries of Dengzhou City, Liu Zhaorui, Deng Junfeng, and Wu Gang.
Zhang Wei, the former Secretary of the Henan Discipline Inspection Commission, was promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee in May 2025 and then added the role of Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. In July 2025, he also took on the additional role of Secretary of the Education Working Committee of the Provincial Party Committee.
According to his public resume, Zhang Wei, born in November 1968 in Songzi, Jingzhou City, Hubei, graduated in Economic Law from Wuhan University, and had long served in the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. During the period from March 2008 to March 2018, when Cao Jianming served as the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Zhang Wei was promoted in July 2013 from Deputy Director (Deputy Director Level) of the Political Department of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate to Deputy Director (Director Level) of the Political Department.
During Wang Qishan’s tenure as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Wei started serving as the Deputy Team Leader of the Discipline Inspection Team stationed at the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in June 2016. In November 2016, he was transferred to be the Director of the Sixth Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
During Zhao Leji’s tenure as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Wei was appointed as the head of the Fifth Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in May 2018. In November 2018, he took over as the leader of the Discipline Inspection Team stationed in the National Development and Reform Commission of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a member of the Party Group of the National Development and Reform Commission, and a member of the party group of the National Development and Reform Commission. In March 2020, he was transferred to the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee as a member of the Standing Committee, Provincial Discipline Inspection Secretary.
During the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, when Li Xi became Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Wei was transferred in December 2023 to a member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission. He was then promoted in May 2025 to Deputy Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee. During Zhang Wei’s year and a half tenure as Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Henan Province, more than 70 officials were investigated by the Henan Discipline Inspection Commission. This includes officials from Nanyang, such as the party secretary Zhu Shixi, Jin Hao, the deputy party secretary and secretary of political and legal affairs of the city committee, Chang Qilin, the deputy director of the Municipal People’s Congress, and Gao Xians, the deputy party secretary and deputy director of the People’s Congress.
Amid the rumors of Xi Jinping’s health and power crisis since the Fourth Plenum of the CCP Central Committee in July 2024 and the ongoing investigations of high-level officials in Henan Province, including those in Dengzhou, the officialdom in Henan has been under intense turbulence, becoming a