Yunnan Lushui City’s Executive Deputy Mayor Fan Bin passed away on October 11, at the age of 39. The news of Fan Bin’s passing was not made public until more than a month later, and the cause of death remains unknown, sparking attention.
On December 1, mainland Red Star News quoted staff from the “authoritative department” of Nujiang Prefecture in Yunnan reporting that Fan Bin, a member of the Lushui City Committee of the Communist Party of China in Nujiang Prefecture and the Executive Deputy Mayor, passed away on October 11.
Rumors regarding the cause of Fan Bin’s death had circulated previously, but the aforementioned authoritative source stated, “We have not yet received relevant feedback on this matter.”
Public records indicate that Fan Bin was born in April 1986 in Shenqiu, Henan. From September 2004 to July 2008, he studied Chinese Minority Languages and Literature (Dual Degree in Secretarial Studies) at Yunnan University for Nationalities. In December 2008, Fan Bin began working in the Organization Department of Gongshan County Committee, later transferring to the Organization Department of Lushui County Committee.
In July 2012, Fan Bin successively held positions as Deputy Director of the Lushui County Bureau of Statistics and Deputy Mayor of Lu Zhang Town in Lushui County. In December 2015, he moved to the Office of the Government of Nujiang Prefecture, where he served as the Director of the Comprehensive Research Section 2. In 2020, Fan Bin became the Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Nujiang Prefecture. In January 2022, he was elected as the Deputy Mayor of Lushui City and was expected to become a member of the county (city) committee two years later before serving as a member of the Lushui City Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Party Group, and Executive Deputy Mayor of the city government.
The Lushui City government website reported that Fan Bin participated in a planning seminar for major projects in Lushui City in 2026 on the day before his death (October 10). This was Fan Bin’s last public appearance as reported.
Following the disclosure of Fan Bin’s death by mainland media, netizens raised questions, such as: “Why report it without providing a clear context?”, “At such a young age, what is the truth behind this?”, “Is it related to the major projects?”, and “The delay in making it public suggests there is more to the story.”
In recent years, there have been numerous abnormal deaths of Chinese Communist Party officials, some of which lack clarity surrounding the circumstances. For instance, on November 15, official Chinese media reported that Dong Yijun, Deputy Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau and Director of the Transportation Management Bureau, passed away on October 21, 2025, at the age of 58 due to a sudden illness at his workplace. The news of Dong Yijun’s death was not disclosed until later, leading many to suspect there may be more to his passing.