Zhang Youxia Arrested After Failed Coup; Gunfight Allegedly Occurred at Jingxi Hotel in Western Beijing

File photo of Zhang Youxia. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

[People News] A friend informed me on January 19 that Zhang Youxia had been arrested and that something major might have happened within the CCP. I was attending a conference in Ottawa at the time and was extremely busy, with no opportunity to think it through carefully, so I did not publish anything.

Just now, a friend inside China relayed the following information in general terms. I am recording it here for now, without providing specific explanations or analysis:

Mr. X: Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were preparing to take action against Xi Jinping on the night of January 18, 2026, Beijing time. That day, Xi Jinping was planning to stay at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing. In recent years, he has been “constantly on the move, changing locations every few days.”

Me: I’ll record this. Please wait a moment.

Mr. X: Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli planned to arrest Xi Jinping, with the operation scheduled for the night of January 18. However, information was leaked two hours before the action. That day, Xi Jinping was at the Jingxi Hotel. They believed it would be easy to capture him there, but two hours before the arrest, someone tipped him off.

Xi Jinping immediately left the Jingxi Hotel and quietly arranged arrest operations without drawing attention.

Zhang Youxia’s side did not know that the information had already been leaked to Xi Jinping and proceeded as planned, dispatching advance personnel. Those who arrived at the Jingxi Hotel clashed in a gunfight with personnel arranged by Xi Jinping. Nine guards around Xi Jinping were killed, and dozens of Zhang Youxia’s men were killed.

Me: Where were Zhang’s people at the time? Were they deployed at a single location or stationed separately?

Mr. X: I wasn’t told that. But one issue is that since Xi stayed there, they also deployed troops. Xi often stays at the Jingxi Hotel, then goes to Zhongnanhai or elsewhere. It’s hard for him to stay in one place for two consecutive nights. Online, some say Xi deliberately lured Zhang Youxia out. That is somewhat accurate.

Me: Was it that Xi had already planted people around Zhang Youxia, so he obtained the intelligence two hours in advance? Or did someone who planned to act together with Zhang Youxia change their mind at the last minute and defect?

Mr. X: All I know is that Xi learned of it two hours in advance and immediately moved to arrest Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. He also had all of Zhang Youxia’s and Liu Zhenli’s family members arrested at the first opportunity.

Me: Since such a major and extremely dangerous action was planned, why didn’t they arrange matters for their families in advance?

Mr. X: Zhang and Liu calculated that the operation would succeed. And whether they protected their families was meaningless. If they had arranged their families in advance, it would have exposed the operation. Besides, Xi had already placed many informants around their families anyway.

Me: How long had Zhang and Liu been preparing?

Mr. X: I don’t know. In any case, Xi released information to the outside world only after dealing with the rebellion. Didn’t I tell you a few days ago that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli being suddenly arrested meant something big had happened? You were at a conference in Ottawa at the time.

Me: Yes, I was busy then.

Mr. X: What I heard is that this incident really terrified Xi Jinping. His mother and sister both found out and were badly frightened. They are still staying at the Shenzhen Guesthouse. Security measures were immediately taken, and now the entire guesthouse has been placed under lockdown. The area outside the guesthouse is now under heavy guard.

Me: Why did Zhang Youxia rebel?

Mr. X: He was probably forced into it. Xi Jinping has been carrying out continuous purges, and it’s impossible for anyone to remain wholeheartedly cooperative with him.

Me: So this is a vicious cycle. Xi Jinping is extremely suspicious and narrow-minded, trusting no one. That causes people around him to live in constant fear. The more fearful they are, the more cautious they become, the more abnormal they appear, and the more likely trouble becomes. Moreover, the CCP system is essentially a black box, so everyone is constantly scheming against and guarding against each other.

Mr. X: Exactly. External media and self-media influencers speculate all day long about Zhang Youxia, which also fuels Xi Jinping’s suspicions toward him.

Me: So this time, Zhang Youxia increasingly felt his own danger, especially since figures such as He Weidong, Miao Hua, and Li Shangfu had already been taken down from the Central Military Commission.

Mr. X: Did you notice how harsh the wording was in the central announcement?

Me: This time the CCP acted differently from before by issuing an announcement very quickly, showing that Xi Jinping wants to use public opinion to suppress anyone with intentions of making a move, warning them not to act rashly again. How many assassination attempts against Xi Jinping has this been?

Mr. X: It seems there were three before; this was the fourth. In 2013, Zhou Yongkang sent an assassin to kill Xi, but it failed. Xi’s close guard was killed, and a bullet grazed Xi’s leg. After that, Xi did not appear publicly for about twenty days. That was when Zhou and his son were finally arrested.

Me: I’ve searched for information, and there are several versions of the story.

Mr. X: I think Xi now has two possibilities. One is that he intends to rule until death, and may next abolish the Central Military Commission. The other is that he will step down quickly. Either way, Xi’s family has been extremely frightened and may persuade him not to continue.

Me: Xi Jinping’s methods of internal purges within the CCP are exactly the same as Mao Zedong’s back then.

Mr. X: Yes—look at how Mao handled Peng Dehuai. First, he solicited opinions. Peng Dehuai then wrote Mao a private letter criticizing the Great Leap Forward and the people’s communes. Mao initially appeared indifferent, but at the full meeting on July 23 suddenly launched a counterattack, delivering a long speech accusing Peng’s letter of attacking the Party.

Me: This incident should have dealt Xi Jinping a heavy blow and may lead to major changes within the CCP—either increasing centralization and brutality, or Xi collapsing due to psychological, mental, or physical reasons.

(Reposted from X platform @盛雪SHENG Xue)
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