Chinese Communist Party officials are involved in various forms of corruption, including bribery. In the Qinghe County of Altay City, Xinjiang, one official became infatuated with pigeons, and over the course of four years, he solicited 95 pigeons, totaling 1.3243 million yuan in value, which accounted for more than half of his corrupt transactions.
According to reports from multiple Chinese media outlets on October 10th, a first-instance judgment publicly disclosed on the China Judgments Online website revealed that Ma, the former director of the Emergency Management Bureau in Qinghe County, Altay City, Xinjiang, was convicted of bribery on August 26th this year. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, fined 500,000 yuan, and ordered to forfeit over 240,000 yuan of illegal gains, with a total of more than 1.61 million yuan already recovered and seized.
The local prosecutor’s office accused Ma, the official with the last name “Ma,” of aiding 17 individuals in project applications, fund disbursements, and engineering contracts from August 2015 to December 2024, illegally receiving and soliciting goods amounting to a total of 2.4243 million yuan.
The judgment revealed that this official had a particular fondness for a type of pigeon known as “flip-over pigeons.” Among the bribes he received or solicited, a total of 95 pigeons were involved. The prices varied from thousands of yuan per pigeon to a single “flip-over pigeon” valued at an astonishing 180,000 yuan, which is equivalent to the price of a 50-square-meter house in Qinghe County.
The “flip-over pigeon,” also known as the “somersault pigeon,” is a traditional specialty pigeon breed in Xinjiang that showcases graceful multiple somersaults during flight and is highly prized for its aesthetic appeal.
Ma, male, born on October 12, 1973, in Qinghe County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was a retired cadre of a certain Emergency Management Bureau. He had previously served as Deputy Director of a Commerce and Economic Information Committee, Deputy Director of an Industrial Park Management Committee, Director of the Emergency Management Bureau, and Chairman and General Manager of a City Traffic Development Company, all in Qinghe County.
Ma’s acceptance of the “flip-over pigeons” coincided with his upcoming retirement age. Of the 1.1 million yuan he received, some were actively solicited by him, while others were voluntarily offered by the bribe-givers. However, almost all of the 95 “flip-over pigeons” he received were actively requested from his subordinates.
This news sparked discussions among Weibo netizens: “Couldn’t he have become a zookeeper for flip-over pigeons instead?” “I’m curious, where did he keep over ninety pigeons normally?” “Truly unimaginable.” “These pigeons must be costly to maintain.” “A truly unique hobby.”