On November 14th, it was reported by netizens that Gu, the director of the Education Bureau in Beiliu City, Guangxi, was found to be HIV positive after being arrested. This led to a city-wide screening of female teachers in multiple schools. The news quickly spread online, sparking public attention. Authorities promptly worked overnight to dispel the rumors, and the news was soon suppressed.
Multiple screenshots of WeChat conversations circulating online showed that Gu was arrested for accepting a bribe amounting to eight figures in Chinese Yuan and underwent a blood test as part of the standard procedure, which revealed his HIV status. Subsequently, last week, various schools started conducting extensive blood tests to screen for HIV, especially among female teachers in Minle Town and a large portion of Beiliu Town.
Rumors online suggested that in Beiliu, hundreds of female teachers were either voluntarily or involuntarily involved with Gu, with some reports mentioning around forty individuals. It was reported that a 26-year-old female teacher from Minle First Junior High School had been diagnosed with HIV. At Chengxi Junior High School, after a male teacher was diagnosed with HIV, his wife tested positive as well. She admitted to only having contact with Gu and then reported several other female teachers to the disciplinary commission.
One person mentioned, “My classmate also got tested, she thought it was a free hepatitis B screening and only found out yesterday what it was about. She was furious.”
“Read Special News” reporters reached out to the Beiliu City Education Bureau and Public Security Bureau for confirmation, but the staff members claimed to be unaware of the situation. The Public Security Bureau declined an interview citing the inability to verify the reporter’s identity, while the Education Bureau staff even stated uncertainty about whether the director was at work that day.
That evening, an official announcement from the “Guangxi Internet Illegal and Harmful Information Reporting” WeChat public account labeled the related rumors as “false information.” Simultaneously, the relevant news was censored across all online platforms, leaving only official “debunking” messages. Currently, the confirmation of whether the Beiliu City Education Bureau Director Gu has been arrested remains pending. Gu’s last public appearance was on August 22nd, presiding over a meeting regarding the start of the autumn semester.
However, the official debunking faced scrutiny from netizens. Numerous comments below the debunking message questioned its validity, with remarks like, “Rumors, the prophecy far ahead.” “There are various forms of rumors; we’ve all experienced it in the past three years of the pandemic.” “Official debunking means it’s definitely true.” “Even if it’s true, it must be presented as false. Easily causes panic.” “Publicly conduct blood tests.” “Go to the CDC for HIV testing, it’s more effective than empty debunking.”
Some netizens also expressed, “Even if this is true, it’s not surprising at all.”
In 2014, there were reports that Kong Chuizhu, the former Deputy Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial People’s Congress and Deputy Party Secretary, was exposed to being HIV positive and had attempted suicide twice.
According to a report by “Caixin Net,” in early March 2014, Kong Chuizhu fell into a coma due to an overdose while attending the National People’s Congress session in Beijing and remained hospitalized during the event. By the end of March, Kong attempted suicide again by using a broken glass, causing severe injuries leading to massive blood loss. Yunnan officials stated that during a medical examination, he tested positive as an HIV carrier.
On May 27th, Kong resigned from his position as the Deputy Director of the Yunnan Provincial People’s Congress due to health reasons, and on July 12th, he passed away at the Kunming Armed Police Hospital. Some sources claimed he died by jumping from a building. Six days later, the official obituary only mentioned his death due to an illness.
Additionally, according to a report by “Phoenix News,” a classmate of Kong Chuizhu revealed that Kong, Shen Peiping, and a high-ranking official from Yunnan had three common lovers, unaware of each other’s involvement. When Kong was diagnosed with HIV, his mistresses discreetly went for testing.
The issue of senior officials in mainland China being involved in extramarital affairs and keeping mistresses has been a severe problem, with “adultery” becoming a common term in official reports of investigating officials.
Commentator Zhang Sutian once stated that corruption and lewd behavior are prevalent within the Communist Party from central to local levels, with the scandal in Yunnan merely reflecting a fraction of the widespread misconduct.