In recent days, the Governor of Qiannan Prefecture in Guizhou Province, Xiang Chengqiang, was placed under investigation. Just three days before his downfall, Xiang Chengqiang had participated in the semi-annual economic work conference of Qiannan Prefecture. Prior to this, four other governors of Qiannan Prefecture had also been investigated.
According to the Guizhou Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission on August 1st, Xiang Chengqiang, the Deputy Secretary of the Qiannan Prefecture Committee and Governor, is currently under scrutiny for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
Public information indicates that Xiang Chengqiang, a post-70s generation individual of Miao ethnicity, had worked extensively in Zunyi City, holding positions such as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Yuxi Town, Daozhen County, Deputy Secretary, Secretary, and Mayor of Taoyuan Township, among others. Starting in 2000, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Zunyi City Committee, and later held various positions in Fenggang County and Xishui County before becoming the Governor of Qiannan Prefecture.
As of now, five governors of Qiannan Prefecture have been investigated for violations of discipline and law, including Xiang Chengqiang, Wu Shenghua, Zhong Yang, Xiang Hongqiong, and Li Yuecheng.
On July 24th, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission’s website reported that Wu Shenghua, a member of the Guizhou Provincial Standing Committee and Secretary of the Bijie Municipal Committee, had been placed under investigation. Wu Shenghua was the first central-level cadre in Guizhou to fall from grace this year.
Wu Shenghua had a 13-year tenure in Qiannan Prefecture, serving as Deputy Secretary of the Prefecture Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, and Vice Governor, among other roles. From February 2017 to October 2020, he was the Governor of Qiannan Prefecture. In October 2020, he became the Vice Governor of the Guizhou Provincial Government and a member of the Party Group. In May 2022, he was appointed as a member of the Guizhou Provincial Standing Committee and Secretary of the Bijie Municipal Committee before his recent downfall in July.
On April 18, 2023, Zhong Yang, the Deputy Secretary of the Qiannan Prefecture Committee, Secretary of the Prefecture Government Party Group, and Governor was investigated. Zhong Yang, also a post-70s generation individual, had worked in Guiyang for many years before being transferred to Qiannan Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture in December 2018. He had served as Vice Governor, member of the Prefecture Committee, and Executive Vice Governor before being elected as the Governor of Qiannan Prefecture in March 2021, a position he held for two years.
On September 1, 2024, Zhong Yang was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office. The investigation revealed that Zhong Yang had abused his power to provide assistance in agreement signings, project bids, project progress, and fund disbursements, resulting in the illegal receipt of over 58.96 million yuan.
On March 17, 2022, Xiang Hongqiong, former Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was placed under investigation. She was later expelled on August 25. In September 2023, the Anshun Intermediate People’s Court in Guizhou sentenced Xiang Hongqiong to 12 years in prison and fined her 1.5 million yuan for bribery.
Xiang Hongqiong had previously served as a professor at Guizhou Agricultural College. She held various positions before being appointed as Deputy Mayor of Liupanshui City in June 2002. Later, she served as Deputy General Manager of the Personal Financial Business Department of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Deputy Director of the Science and Environmental Protection Department of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Development Corporation. In June 2008, she became the Director and Party Committee Secretary of the Guizhou Meteorological Bureau and then Deputy Secretary of the Qiannan Prefecture Committee and Vice Governor in September 2011. In February 2012, she became the Deputy Secretary of the Qiannan Prefecture Committee and Governor.
In September 2016, she was appointed as the Director and Party Committee Secretary of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of Guizhou Province and served as Chairwoman of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference from January 2018 to January 2022. She was investigated two months after stepping down from this position.
Reported on January 8, 2020, Li Yuecheng, former Secretary-General of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, and the former Director of the 12th Agricultural Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference were also under investigation.
Li Yuecheng, a teacher by profession in his early years, transitioned into politics in 1982. At the age of 30, in 1987, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Pu’an County Committee and was dubbed the “kid county head.” In late 2006, Li Yuecheng was transferred to Qiannan Prefecture and served as the Governor from February 2007 to September 2011. In January 2012, he became the Secretary-General of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference. From February 2018, Li Yuecheng held the position of Director of the 12th Agricultural Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference until the investigation in January 2020.
According to the mainland media, Liu Yu (pseudonym) expressed to Dajiyuan that “officials in the CCP now climb up the ranks by building relationships and using backdoor methods. If they don’t have these connections, they won’t be able to advance in their roles, hence, the chain of arrests during anti-corruption campaigns. The CCP always claims that anti-corruption is an ongoing process. In order to maintain their power, officials will find compliant individuals, and consequently, the original officials will be replaced or fall into corruption, resulting in a cycle of officials coming and going.” Liu Yu added, “In fact, corruption is a product of the CCP system. Without changing this system, corruption will never be eradicated.”
The Qiannan Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture, abbreviated as “Qiannan Prefecture,” was established in 1956 in the central-southern part of Guizhou Province. It serves as a vital node connecting the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Southwest region to South China and the Pearl River Delta. It is not only the southern gateway to Guizhou but also the nearest gateway for Guizhou to reach the sea in the south. Qiannan Prefecture covers an area of 26,000 square kilometers and governs 12 counties and cities with a total population of 3.5012 million residents as of 2024.