A recently aired documentary has revealed the systematic corruption network surrounding Jiang Chaoliang, former Communist Party secretary of Hubei province, detailing his transformation from a “hunted” target to an active participant in power-for-money exchanges. The investigation exposes how Jiang consistently abused his authority to benefit his family members and business associates over decades.
Jiang, who previously served as chairman of Agricultural Bank of China and governor of Jilin province before his investigation in February 2025, confessed in the documentary: “From the beginning, I had ambiguous relationships with those businessmen. Gradually, I became willing to be corrupted—to be ‘hunted’—and even took the initiative to throw myself into their arms.”
The corruption scheme began as early as the 1990s when businessman Li Yuanguang initiated a long-term “cultivation” strategy. Li strategically targeted Jiang’s entire family, providing annual financial gifts to Jiang’s mother and managing education, investments, and healthcare for family members. This created a dependency that lasted over a decade before Li began requesting favors in return.
During Jiang’s tenure as Agricultural Bank of China chairman, Li secured a lucrative ATM procurement contract. The businessman further entangled Jiang’s brothers as “shareholders” in his company while continuously seeking project approvals and loans through their influence.
The documentary reveals how Jiang’s brothers became central figures in the corruption network, acting as intermediaries for businessmen seeking favors. When Jiang assumed leadership of Hubei province in 2016, the brothers capitalized on their connection, with one securing major projects in Xiaogan city through Jiang’s influence and reselling them for substantial profits.
The case also implicates Pan Qisheng, former Party secretary of Xiaogan, who curried favor with Jiang through his brother to accelerate his political career. Pan received two promotions within a single year and subsequently awarded major projects to Jiang’s brother upon taking office. Pan was expelled from the Party and dismissed from office in January 2021.
Businessmen employed various methods to secure Jiang’s influence, including direct financial benefits, large investment funds disguised as joint ventures, original shares, and reduced project cooperation fees. Jiang described the arrangement as “a project-based model—no trivial exchanges, just power-for-money deals through my brothers.”
In October 2025, Jiang was expelled from the Party and dismissed from office, with his criminal case transferred to procuratorial organs. His accomplices and bribe-givers faced legal consequences. Expressing remorse, Jiang acknowledged: “I abused the power entrusted to me by the people for personal and family gain.”
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Commission of Supervision emphasized that such “hunting” of officials severely pollutes the political ecosystem and erodes social conduct, warning that without eliminating this corruption source, the cycle would continue indefinitely.