On April 24, former Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress Dǒng Yúnhǔ was reported to have been prosecuted. Dǒng Yúnhǔ is accused of engaging in nepotism by granting and receiving private benefits related to his membership in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and he was also exposed for helping his mistress obtain a CPPCC membership.
According to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the Chinese Communist Party, on the 24th of April, the investigation into Dǒng Yúnhǔ’s bribery case concluded with his prosecution. This report disclosed for the first time that Dǒng Yúnhǔ began amassing wealth during his tenure as Deputy Director of the Seventh Bureau of the State Council Information Office (Central Office of Foreign Propaganda).
Dǒng Yúnhǔ previously worked at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party, serving as Deputy Director of the Marxist Institute and Director of the Human Rights Research Center. He is known as one of the earliest scholars within the CCP system to promote and elevate the concept of Chinese Communist “human rights,” having authored books advocating for the CCP’s version of human rights. He played a role in beautifying the image of the CCP and was one of the drafters of the first “Human Rights White Paper” used by the CCP for brainwashing propaganda.
Subsequently, he held positions such as Deputy Director of the Central Office of Foreign Propaganda, Deputy Director of the State Council Information Office, Member of the Standing Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee, Member of the Standing Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, Chairman and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Director of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.
On July 12, 2023, Dǒng Yúnhǔ was investigated, becoming the first senior-level “tiger” to fall after the 20th National Congress. Just two days before his downfall, on July 10, 2023, Dǒng Yúnhǔ still made a public appearance.
On December 12 of the same year, Dǒng Yúnhǔ was “double-opened”. He was accused of violating deployment requirements, engaging in nepotism by granting and receiving private benefits regarding CPPCC membership, lack of loyalty and honesty, resisting investigation, failing to truthfully explain issues, long-term misappropriation of public property, engaging in power-for-sex transactions, interfering in judicial activities, engaging in power and money transactions, utilizing his official position for personal gain, as well as illegally accepting huge sums of money.
The issue of “engaging in nepotism by granting and receiving private benefits regarding CPPCC membership” corresponds to online rumors. After Dǒng Yúnhǔ fell from grace, there were reports alleging that his mistress, Liú Yǐbīng, was also taken away from Shanghai Television Station. Liú Yǐbīng is a host for Shanghai Television Oriental Satellite TV and the Director of the Media Innovation and Communications Department. With Dǒng Yúnhǔ’s assistance, Liú Yǐbīng was appointed as a member of the Shanghai CPPCC.
Public records show that Liú Yǐbīng is a member of the 13th and 14th Shanghai CPPCC.