Zhao Wei's big news leads to the former mayor of Shenzhen, Xu Zongheng. With 2024 coming to an end, as a New Year gift to welcome 2025, today I will share a hardcore story with friends. This story contains a lot of my exclusive true information, which I believe has historical documentary value. Although it is somewhat absurd.
In recent days, the entertainment industry has been bustling: female star Zhao Wei suddenly announced her divorce, causing a stir and sparking numerous rumors. Some say she and her mysterious 'Singapore businessman' have been emotionally estranged for a long time, while others suspect there are deeper issues. What do I think? I just want to say: it doesn't count; celebrity divorces aren't big news these days. What's even more surprising is that her divorce has brought up Xu Zongheng, the former mayor of Shenzhen, who fell from grace more than a decade ago and is now in prison. What is the connection between these two? Don't rush; let me explain it slowly from the beginning.
I first admit that Lao Du is not familiar with Zhao Wei. I have seen him on TV. When I was young, I really liked him. Looking back, how many young people in China didn't like Xiao Yanzi back then? Although I am not familiar with Zhao Wei, I do have some connections with Xu Zongheng, Mayor Xu.
Everyone knows that Lao Du was sentenced because of the Shenzhen land case. Due to this case, Lao Du worked in Shenzhen for more than a year. With the help of Comrade Yu Dehui, the Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and due to work needs, Lao Du became acquainted with Xu Zongheng, the mayor of Shenzhen, during his time working there. Let me show you a secret document signed by Mayor Xu Zongheng regarding my case. This document has a confidential number, everyone take note, it’s visible. In fact, not only are we familiar with Lao Xu, but I am also quite familiar with several of his close associates from Hunan and some of his intimate staff. We can say that we established a lot of profound friendships during our work. Ah, thinking back to that time, these brothers and sisters were very enthusiastic. They often came to pick me up at midnight to take me out to experience Shenzhen's nightlife. To put it in their words, Shenzhen's nightlife can be summarized in four sentences: singing in nightclubs, drinking a bottle of foreign wine, calling a girl to touch, and playing Guangdong Mahjong. I must declare that I never called a girl, but I did other things. Ah, many of the staff around Mayor Xu seemed not to need sleep. Sometimes they could play until 5-6 in the morning, and then they wouldn’t be late for work at 9. They worked energetically. Speaking of this, some friends might think that Lao Du was not a good person back then. To be honest, when you're young and in the world, you can't help it. Because of this, I know a bit about the stories of Mayor Xu. Let’s talk about Mayor Xu without blowing up or blackening.
I first met Mayor Xu on April 16, 2007. At that time, he hosted a banquet for our Vice Chairman Yu Dehui, and I was there as a member of the working group. Mayor Xu is not very tall, speaks loudly, is generous, and has a heroic spirit. When he talks, he is quite straightforward, so much so that it is still fresh in my memory. I remember during the banquet when we first met, our Vice Chairman Yu, who is from Guangdong, was familiar with Mayor Xu from earlier years.
When old friends meet, Mayor Xu candidly told our Vice Chairman Yu, 'Shenzhen is a place with deep waters. That bad-tempered old man Zhu RJ lives in Shenzhen. Since he became mayor, over three hundred leaders from central and provincial and ministerial levels have come to Shenzhen for the New Year. As a result, it’s nearly impossible for him to have a meal at home during this time. Moreover, most of those who come to Shenzhen for the New Year are leaders from central and provincial and ministerial levels, and he can't accompany most of them for a meal. Leaders often complain that Shenzhen's hospitality is not warm. But there’s nothing he can do; there are too many visitors and limited energy. I remember that after several rounds of drinks and dishes, a slightly tipsy Mayor Xu began to express his feelings to our Vice Chairman Yu. He sighed and raised his glass to drink with Vice Chairman Yu, saying, 'Old Yu, life is tough.' Vice Chairman Yu asked, 'Mayor Xu, why do you say that?' Mayor Xu didn't answer directly but said thoughtfully, 'It's easy to deal with Sichuan women when it comes to money. Hunan women value emotions, which isn’t difficult. But Jiangxi women demand lives; that’s tough.' Everyone at the table laughed heartily. People said Mayor Xu had great insight, very humorous, very profound. But everyone present knew that Mayor Xu was currently troubled by issues related to women. As for who the women mentioned by Lao Xu were, it remains unknown; the audience can imagine for themselves.
At that time, there was a significant official in the Shenzhen municipal government who was also a close ally of Mayor Xu. This guy and I had a very good relationship. We were almost open about everything. On the eve of Xu Zongheng's arrest in 2009, he suddenly resigned from a very key position and went to work in Hong Kong. I was shocked. I asked him why? He was vague. Later, after I pushed him a bottle of whiskey at the Dihao nightclub in Shenzhen, he told me the truth. He said, according to the information he had, the central government was going to take action against Mayor Xu. We brothers were all advising Lao Xu to leave quickly, take a route through Hong Kong, either to England or America. In short, he couldn't stay in China. He was being targeted by Hu Jintao. At that time, Lao Xu had not yet been arrested. I asked him such important news—what did Lao Xu think? Would he just sit and wait for death? This guy told me that there was no way. The boss, that is, Xu Zongheng, was too confident and had some worries.
He told me that last week, he was still spending the weekend at Secretary He GQ's home. Secretary He clearly told him about the reports against him, but the matter had been suppressed, and everything that needed to be moved had been moved, so there shouldn't be a big problem. The future looked very bright. He couldn't leave; if he left, his political life would be over. Now Secretary He GQ is visiting abroad. There is no way to say that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection would arrest the mayor of Shenzhen while he is abroad or that they would do so without knowing my situation. So Lao Xu, up until now, still hasn't made up his mind. As a result, three or four days later, someone from the Central Commission came late at night and directly took the couple out of bed. People nearby urgently contacted Secretary He GQ, who helplessly said he had just learned the situation. Just like that, Lao Xu was taken down.
After talking about Lao Xu, let’s discuss the confusion surrounding Zhao Wei’s big news that has brought up Xu Zongheng.
To be honest, the news of Zhao Wei's official announcement of divorce was initially just a small earthquake in the entertainment circle. After all, she has gone through so many ups and downs over the years, such as buying shell companies to go public, controversial actor lineups, the acquisition of Wanjia Culture backfired, being fined and banned from the market for five years by the Securities Regulatory Commission, etc. The audience had long gotten used to it. But who would have thought that suddenly online it was revealed: 'Behind Zhao Wei's divorce is the shadow of Xu Zongheng, the former mayor of Shenzhen from more than a decade ago!' This completely confused the public.
Everyone thinks, who is Xu Zongheng? He was the mayor of Shenzhen at the time, very prominent, but in 2009, he was suddenly taken away from his home by the discipline inspection department for investigation, and it turned out to be a major case, resulting in a death sentence with a two-year reprieve. Not only was he corrupt himself, but he also had a large group of loyal associates, known as the 'Hunan Gang' or 'Three Xiang Fellow Countrymen,' which spread rumors online. However, he has been out of office for more than a decade; what connection could he possibly have with Zhao Wei?
No one expected that when Xu Zongheng was mayor, he had a young driver named Huang Youlong. That's right, Huang Youlong is Zhao Wei's ex-husband. There are rumors that back then, Huang Youlong was just a little brother running errands for Xu Zongheng, but even at a young age, he could quietly take out millions or even tens of millions in cash to buy houses and register companies. Later, after Xu Zongheng fell from grace, Huang Youlong seemed to have opened up his meridians and, after a period of 'disappearance,' transformed into a 'Singapore businessman,' throwing countless crocodile leather Hermès bags, diamond watches, and luxury homes at Zhao Wei... It was almost like a mythical story.
This matter is actually quite interesting: Zhao Wei's divorce suddenly pushed Huang Youlong back into the spotlight, and the old leader behind him—Xu Zongheng—was also brought back into the conversation and criticized again.
Text by DW