Like most of you, I had never heard of Lan Shili until recently. The owner of China's fourth private airline, East Star Airlines, made headlines two weeks ago when mainland police detained him.
Police put people in custody every day. However, there were too many twists to ignore in Mr Lan's case.
He was arrested less than 48 hours after he publicly denounced an acquisition proposal from China National Aviation Holding (CNA), the parent of mainland flag carrier Air China, as 'barbaric'.
'Potential debt evasion' was the official reason given for his arrest.
The day after his denunciation, the authorities grounded all the flights of his airline on the grounds that 'a financially stressed company and an emotionally disturbed crew might pose safety hazards' (see table).
The media questioned the legitimacy of the grounding and arrest. Some even allege it was a 'coercive' move by the public sector to extinguish their private rivals. These open criticisms are quickly gagged but the chatter remains online.
Reading this saga and the allegations, I cannot help but wonder why.