The resume of Lin Xiangdong, the director of the Culture and Tourism Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Fujian Province, suddenly disappeared from the official website, and the official response to the media claims ignorance of his whereabouts. However, rumors spread online alleging that he was caught in a scandal of infidelity. He is said to be a member of a faction within the CCP called the Fujian Gang, led by Cai Qi, and the Fujian Normal University Gang.
Several mainland media outlets reported that on May 23, the resume of Lin Xiangdong, the party secretary and director of the Culture and Tourism Department of the CCP in Fujian Province, was taken down from the official website.
Regarding Lin Xiangdong’s situation, on the afternoon of May 23, an office staff member of the Fujian Province Culture and Tourism Department only told the media under the Ji’nan Times that “he is no longer with our unit.” When asked about the reasons for Lin Xiangdong’s departure and his whereabouts, the staff member claimed not to have specific information.
Lin Xiangdong’s last public appearance was on May 14 when he conducted research in Quanzhou, Fujian Province.
A search on May 25 by Da Ji Yuan found that articles published by The Paper and Ifeng on May 23 about Lin Xiangdong’s “disappearance” had been deleted. However, pages from Tencent, Sina, and Xin Huanghe were still accessible.
Public records show that Lin Xiangdong, born in January 1968 in Changtai, Fujian, graduated with a degree in political education from Fujian Normal University. He worked at the Fujian Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau in his early career, then held positions such as Deputy Inspector of the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Chief Planner of the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Deputy Director of the Reform Office of the Fujian Provincial Committee, Director of the Fujian Province Government Development Research Center in February 2021, and Director of the Culture and Tourism Department of Fujian Province in February 2023.
Xi Jinping, the CCP leader, worked in Fujian for 17 years and has ambitions to reunify Taiwan, hence officials from Fujian are highly valued. The political landscape is said to be influenced by factions such as the Fujian Gang, led by the current Political Bureau Member Cai Qi. Under this faction, there is also the Fuzhou Normal University Gang, with key members including Cai Qi and alumni like Huang Kunming, the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee, Song Tao, the director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, and Pan Xianzheng, the deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office. Lin Xiangdong, who is now missing, is said to be part of this network.
Regarding the official response to the removal of Lin Xiangdong’s name from the official website, Chinese netizens on social media platforms have been questioning:
“What is the real reason? The announcement seems to say something, yet it doesn’t. Can they just be straightforward about it? It’s bothering me.”
“Why was he removed? I can’t find the reason anywhere.”
“Being an official seems like you might fall into a trap at any time, it’s all so chaotic and complex, like killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.”
“Heroes struggle at the gates of beauties, while beauties struggle at the vinegar stand. Many stories unfold like this.”
“Is his removal related to the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys? It’s like a real-life version of a Jianghu manor.”
There have been rumors circulating online, suggesting that “last weekend, Jay Chou came to Fuzhou for a concert, Lin, the director, gave some tickets to this actress. The actress’s husband took their child to the show. The husband felt something was amiss because the wife wasn’t there, so he pretended to take the child to the performance and followed his wife to the Golden Fountain Hotel. He discovered that his wife had gone to a room. He went upstairs, knocked on the door, and found his wife and another man in the room, leading to a physical altercation with the man (Director Lin). They called 110, alleging that someone had assaulted his wife. The police from the Wenquan Police Station arrived within minutes, took Director Lin to the police station, and as he held a high position, the local police dared not handle the case and reported it to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, which in turn reported it to the Provincial Public Security Department. The Ministry of Public Security then reported it to Secretary Zhou of the Provincial Committee (Zhou Zuyi).”
These claims currently cannot be verified.
On May 24, independent commentator Cai Shunkun posted on an overseas platform, mentioning the recent series of scandals in Fuzhou. Following the turmoil surrounding the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, more explosive news came out involving Lin Xiangdong, the director of the Culture and Tourism Department of Fujian Province. Lin Xiangdong was appointed as the director just last February after serving as the director of the Fujian Province Government Development Research Center, with his tenure lasting exactly one year, indicating that the rumors circulating are not unfounded.
Recently, there has been widespread coverage of the private club incident in the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys of Fuzhou. The club was described as a “wine and dine alley” for the privileged. Rumors suggest that numerous provincial and deputy provincial officials, as well as department-level officials, are involved in the scandal surrounding the red building in the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, totaling more than 120 people, with even Huawei personnel implicated in the business sector.
On May 6 this year, Lin Baojin, the Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, was removed from his post, replaced by Guo Ningning. This personnel change has also sparked speculation.