Expelled from Party: Wealth-flaunting Net celebrity brings down granddad

Ti Gong

An online wealth-flaunting farce was highly watched by netizens for almost a year, and it has ended with the expulsion of a high-ranking official from the the Communist Party of China.

Zhong Gengci, former director of the Shenzhen transport bureau's freight management branch, was stripped of his Party membership and his retirement benefits were lowered to that of an entry-level clerk, his illegal gains confiscated.

Zhong is the grandfather of Internet celebrity "Arctic Catfish" (北极鲶鱼), who unintentionally contributed to the government's fight against corruption and brought about his downfall.

On March 22, "Arctic Catfish" was found bragging about her wealth on the Twitter-like (now X) Weibo, such as posting that "we have nine digits (in savings) at home" and "feeling (our family is) corrupt."

She also showed off on the Internet that she lived a luxurious life in Australia, and compared netizens to "commoners to be exploited," and said that her family's money was provided by the "commoners," which triggered online outrage.

Arctic Catfish's grandfather, Zhong, responded on March 24, refuting the claim of substantial wealth and emphasizing his honest work until retirement. He also said that his granddaughter had been distraught and in tears due to her controversial remarks.

But the official report on Tuesday scoffed at the so-called "working honestly until retirement" claims.

According to the report, Zhong was dishonest to the Party and repeatedly colluded with others to resist investigation; engaged in profit-making activities and unauthorized part-time work in violation of regulations; and used his position to seek benefits for others and illegally accepted their property.

The disciplinary committee in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, said it will investigate the case according to the law and regulations.