Recently, in Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, the female director of the Commerce Bureau, Ms. Zhou, was reported by Mr. Zhang, the brother of her ex-husband, for having multiple extramarital affairs. When her ex-husband demanded the remaining compensation for mental damages, Ms. Zhou reported him to the police for “extortion” and was subsequently arrested.
According to the mainland China’s “Current News” report, Mr. Zhang, the informant, stated that his brother and Ms. Zhou got married in November 2015, both for the second time. Due to Ms. Zhou’s repeated infidelities during the marriage, they agreed to divorce in 2025.
Mr. Zhang compiled a “List of Ms. Zhou’s Extramarital Affairs”, showing that from 2005 to 2026, Ms. Zhou had inappropriate relationships with at least 9 men, 8 of whom were extramarital affairs, involving several local government officials and businessmen.
Mr. Zhang also provided numerous chat records, intimate photos between Ms. Zhou and the men involved, as well as a “Guarantee Letter” dated December 23, 2018, signed by “Ms. Zhou”. The content stated, “Cut off all contact with Mr. Wei from now on… No ambiguous relationships with other opposite genders.”
Mr. Zhang mentioned that his brother only decided to divorce Ms. Zhou after discovering her infidelities. At the time, Ms. Zhou promised to pay his brother 5 million RMB in compensation for mental damages. However, the “Divorce Agreement” only mentioned a compensation of 3.3 million RMB. After the divorce, Ms. Zhou paid the 3.3 million RMB. In April this year, when the brother demanded the remaining 1.7 million RMB, Ms. Zhou reported him to the police for “extortion”. In May, the brother was criminally detained and subsequently arrested, and has been in custody for 5 months. On September 4th, the Coldwater Beach District Procuratorate of Yongzhou City filed a public prosecution against him for suspected extortion.
Following his brother’s arrest, Mr. Zhang raised concerns about Ms. Zhou’s lifestyle to relevant authorities but has not received any investigation results to date. Mr. Zhang questioned whether Ms. Zhou had used her official position to influence judicial proceedings, leading to the case being completed from filing to prosecution in just 5 months.
On October 8th, the staff of the Commerce Bureau of Yongzhou City confirmed that Ms. Zhou was indeed the director, but claimed they were unaware of the reported extramarital affairs. The staff of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Yongzhou City stated that they had received the relevant reports but refused to disclose the handling status.
On October 8th and 9th, the topic of “Female Director in Hunan Reported for Multiple Extramarital Affairs” trended on Weibo for two consecutive days.
Netizens expressed various opinions, “I feel embarrassed to read the chat records.” “It’s hard not to suspect whether Ms. Zhou’s promotion is related to corruption.” “To pay out 3.3 million in one go, this doesn’t seem like a regular government official’s income.” “Other government officials involved in extramarital affairs should also be exposed together, saving it for Chinese New Year, right?”
In response to Sichuan’s former media person “Tazi Mountain Commentary,” Ms. Zhou denied the accusations of “extramarital affairs” and judicial interference, claiming that the 3.3 million RMB payment was made to settle threats and coercion from the male party, borrowing from family and friends to resolve the situation. However, this claim has not been officially verified yet.