Opinion | Nightclub's superstar 'welcome' lands Henan official in trouble
A Henan official is being investigated after a night club displayed his name and title on an electronic banner
Hospitality is overrated - at least for China’s party cadres whose extravagant lifestyles and love of bar-hopping are drawing increasing scrutiny from the country’s online community.
“President Zhang and President Wang from China Blue Chemical Group warmly welcomes director Tian from Xiangcheng city,” reads the message put up by a popular nightclub in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan province.
Tian Hongzhi, a deputy director at Xiangcheng city’s Department of Industry and Commerce, appeared to be partying with some affluent hosts - the Henan branch executives of a Hong Kong-listed firm China Blue Chemical. But the executives later denied having anything to do with Tian or the party.
Unfortunately for Tian, the message was promptly photographed by a zealous blogger who later shared it on Weibo, where it went viral and received nation-wide attention.
“What a hard-working official Mr Tian is,” wrote a micro-blogger sarcastically, “Working so late at night in the field.”