On February 17, several entrepreneurs attended a CCP symposium on private enterprises. However, their expressions were grim, showing no joy despite supposedly receiving government support. (Screenshot from video)
[People News] How many officials have fallen due to a single drink? A survey conducted by Sina.com revealed that the primary cause of unnatural deaths among officials is suicide, followed closely by alcohol consumption.
On May 13, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that a Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission in Henan, along with four other officials, gathered for a meal and consumed alcohol during a meeting, drinking a total of four bottles of liquor, which resulted in one person's death. According to a report from the Chinese Communist Party's media outlet Xinhua News Agency, on March 22, ten officials from Xinyang City and Luoshan County violated regulations by drinking during a meeting aimed at studying the so-called 'Eight Regulations' of the Central Committee, with one individual dying later that afternoon after consuming alcohol.
Officials Publicly Defy Xi and Die from Drinking
The leading official involved is reported to be Li Xianlin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Luoshan County Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Other officials implicated include Ye Jinguang, the Executive Deputy Secretary of the Xinyang Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Lin Zhiyou, a third-level researcher from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection stationed at the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Bao Qian, a fourth-level researcher from the Supervision and Inspection Department of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Zhang Yu, the head of the Safe Creation Department, Duan Weiwei, the Party Secretary and Chief Prosecutor of the Luoshan County Procuratorate, Wang Haiyang, the Political Commissar of the Luoshan County Public Security Bureau, as well as Huang Jiacheng, Fang Jianbing, and Xia Yu, Deputy Secretaries of the Luoshan County Political and Legal Affairs Commission. They gathered for a meal at a restaurant in Xinyang City, where the five consumed a total of four bottles of liquor, leading to one person's death later that afternoon.
Ironically, the meetings held to study the 'Eight Regulations' and 'Eight Provisions' are specifically designed to prohibit the misuse of public funds for dining and entertainment. This indicates that officials fundamentally ignore Xi's regulations and thoughts, openly defying them. Such officials are quite prevalent within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and all those who have been dismissed have generally been accused of violating central authority...
Interestingly, following the incident, the mutual protection among officials was once again exposed. Yu Guofang (余國芳), the secretary of the Luoshan County Committee, was fully aware of the facts but failed to report them to his superiors. The involved officials even borrowed funds from the management service targets to provide compensation to the family of the deceased, hoping to settle the matter privately. Ultimately, most of these officials were only dismissed or given warnings. However, the CCP, likely due to concerns about public perception, took nearly two months to announce the incident.
This event is just a snapshot of the bureaucratic lethargy within the CCP, with many similar incidents occurring. In December 2022, six officials from the CCP held a banquet and consumed alcohol during training at the Qinghai Provincial Party School for the '20th National Congress,' celebrating the selection of two of their colleagues as candidates for promotion to deputy provincial or ministerial levels. They began drinking at 8 PM that night, finishing seven bottles of high-proof liquor, which resulted in one death and others losing consciousness. The incident was only made public nearly six months later.
The various deaths related to drinking
Deaths of officials due to drinking are often difficult to disclose or may not be made public, but in the traffic accidents involving the CCP, one can glimpse the tip of the iceberg.
On February 11 last year, the Yunnan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision revealed issues related to drunk driving, gambling, and other problems during the New Year holiday, including four cases of officials being investigated for drunk driving. According to reference data from a few years ago by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Communist Party of China, there were approximately 250,000 traffic accidents nationwide, resulting in about 65,000 deaths. This means that, on average, one person dies in a car accident every 8 minutes. Among the top ten behaviours leading to accidents, drunk driving ranks fourth. On February 18 last year, five traffic police officers were tragically killed while investigating drunk driving.
Terms like "reception liquor," "investment liquor," and "'mixing' liquor" illustrate the culture of excessive drinking among officials, who tirelessly frequent various drinking venues under the guise of "public" interests. Some have even died from drinking in the homes of impoverished farmers. Yang Xiaohan, the former director of the Joint Committee of the Political Consultative Conference in Luyang Town, Zhongfang County, Huaihua City, violated regulations by hosting a housewarming banquet. Six individuals, including Huang Gaosheng, a retired employee of the Zhongfang County Finance Bureau, Tang Yonghong, the former director of the Joint Committee of the Political Consultative Conference in Huo Shui Township, Zhang Zaiyin, a retired cadre from the County Family Planning Bureau, and Han Tongcai, the Party branch secretary of Shuangshan Village in Luyang Town, consumed more than 2 jin of white liquor together. The following morning, around 8 a.m., Huang was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a hotel room.
Zhou Daxu, the first secretary of poverty alleviation assigned to Xinmiao Village from the Disease Control Centre in Zhenba County, visited five key poverty alleviation households in the village, accompanied by village group leader Li Mingliang, who dined and drank at the home of one of the impoverished families. After finishing a bottle of white liquor, the group leader rode his bike home, but tragically died when a sharp branch from a woodpile on the roadside pierced his chest.
Li Ning, the former director of the Wuzhou Industrial Park National Tax Bureau, hosted a dinner at a hotel in Wuzhou City, inviting staff members, including Pan Guihe and others, along with Jiang Jianlin, the Party Secretary and Director of the Mengshan County National Tax Bureau. During the dinner, the attendees participated in drinking games involving playing cards and rock-paper-scissors. An argument broke out between Jiang Jianlin and Pan Guihe over the results of the games, which escalated into a physical confrontation. Pan Guihe and his group later moved to another hotel in the city. Upon learning of their location, Jiang Jianlin arrived and punched Pan Guihe, who fell to the ground and subsequently died in the hospital.
Such incidents are all too common; when superiors visit, drinking is obligatory; when colleagues from other units arrive, drinking is also expected; and when conducting official business, approvals and stamps require even more drinking. Meetings related to promotions often involve excessive drinking, as the drinking culture is extensive and relationships are intricate; while drinking may seem trivial, the repercussions of abstaining can be significant. However, officials drink using public funds, specifically taxpayers' money. The intoxication stems not just from alcohol, but from being captivated by the power dynamics involved.
Subordinates often flatter their superiors by treating them to drinks, leading to embarrassing situations when intoxicated. There are reports of individuals dying after consuming 11 cups on their first day in office as a mere formality, and instances where men and women dine together, with women being treated as mere side dishes, resulting in drunken debauchery. Some engage in gambling while drinking, displaying a rough demeanour, and resorting to violence for personal gain. Others gather various intelligence at drinking venues for personal advantage, while some, with ulterior motives, hold a bottle of medicine in one hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other, ultimately losing their credibility after getting drunk.
In the realm of officialdom, drinking can lead to one's downfall, and individuals often find themselves not in control of their own destinies.
According to a report by Beijing's "Legal Evening News" at the start of 2017, there have been at least 21 cases of party and government officials who died from alcohol-related incidents since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, within just over four years. These incidents include deaths resulting from excessive drinking while entertaining superior leaders, deaths during inter-departmental drinking events, deaths from public-funded banquets, and deaths from private gatherings.
Liu Yu, a secretary in a party committee office, remarked, "What is being consumed is power and status; what is being tested is loyalty. You might ask how good Moutai is. Honestly, I can’t really taste anything special about it. So why do we drink it? Because it’s expensive! Whether Moutai is authentic or not is clearly not the point; what truly matters is whether the 'power and status' behind the wine glass are genuine. Even if you know it’s counterfeit wine, you have to drink it as if it’s real. When a leader asks you to drink, it signifies trust, treating you as part of their inner circle, and it also serves as a test of your loyalty to see if what the leader says holds weight. This dynamic exists not only in the workplace but also at the dining table, as, to a large extent, the dining table serves as another office desk."
"Those who often succumb to drinking are typically lower-ranking officials who accompany and persuade others to drink. In a society where power dominates, everything in the political arena revolves around power. Those who are frequently toasted may not drink much themselves, yet they continuously pour drinks for others. Some, while pouring, end up sacrificing their own lives. If you fail to serve the leader well, your future will not be easy either," stated another secretary from a municipal party committee at the prefecture level.
To secure their promotions within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officials must pass what is referred to as a 'drunken test'. This allows superiors to perceive their straightforwardness and ability to grasp leadership intentions through their 'drinking character'. The saying goes, 'No joy without alcohol'; without drinking, nothing gets done. When they do drink, it must be done properly, with an emphasis on phrases like 'whether it’s iron or not, drink until the stomach bleeds'. The CCP's appointment system is hierarchical, meaning that the more confused subordinates are, the more likely they are to be favoured by their leaders, thus enhancing their chances for advancement. As a result, they are willing to drink excessively. Some officials even view their drinking ability as a badge of power, a way to flaunt their extravagance and indulgence. In the midst of toasting and drinking, we witness the chaotic debauchery of the CCP officialdom, which prioritises its own power and interests while neglecting the lives and deaths of the populace, living in a state of drunkenness and dreamlike escapism.
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