CCTV anchor Feng Lin had sex with Xu Caihou for CPPCC membership: report
Staff Reporter
2015-06-12
A screenshot of Feng Lin presenting Military Report in June of 2014. (Internet photo)
On the eve of the annual meetings of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the anchor of a military news program Feng Lin suddenly resigned from her position as a CPPCC member, leading to a lot of speculation about her in the media, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
A letter denouncing Feng, which appeared to originate from her place of work–the PLA TV Publicity Center–recently surfaced online, further fueling this speculation. The letter stated that Feng had engaged in sexual acts with disgraced former vice chair of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou in exchange for promotion and other favors and that Feng was forced to resign her post in the army and her CPPCC membership when this came to light.
If the rumor is true, it may reflect a previous report in an overseas newspaper suggesting that China's anti-corruption campaign is shifting its gaze towards people working in the cultural sector, especially those how have exploited ties to Communist Party officials, said the website. Corruption within the cultural sector is already an open secret, especially in the entertainment industry, according to Duowei.
The letter criticized the level of corruption and the casual attitudes to sex within the PLA TV Publicity Center, which is subordinate to the PLA General Political Department, and made specific reference to a group of female anchors headed by Feng who are said to have exchanged sex for favors and influence.
The letter stated that Feng Lin, who goes under the stage name Hai Lin, was the presenter of the CCTV-7 program Military Reports and deputy head of the center's features department. She was mentored by the former deputy head of the PLA General Political Department Liu Yongzhi and was transferred to the PLA TV Publicity Center on his orders. Feng was also appointed as anchor of Military Report on orders from Liu. After Liu left his post, Feng found another patron in Xu Caihou and is said to have won his favor by having sex with him.
The report suggests that Feng was promoted to deputy head of the center's features department on Xu's orders and he is also said to have secured CPPCC membership for her. As Feng's prestige increased she is said to have bribed other powerful figures in the PLA TV Publicity Center and the PLA General Political Department
After Xu was detained in March 2014 on suspicion of bribery, Feng, as Xu's highest profile lover was detained by Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) officials in 2014 and was removed from her post as anchor of Military Report. She is said to have pulled strings at the General Political Department to secure more lenient treatment, however, and her removal was disguised as a resignation, allowing her to get away untarnished, according to Duowei. As she no longer represents the military, however, she was forced to resign her CPPCC seat in advance of the annual meetings in March.
Feng graduated from the School of Presentation Art of Communication University of China and joined the army in 1996.
Feng, still under 40, had been a CPPCC member for just under two years.
Xu died of bladder cancer in March 2015 before he could be court martialled on corruption charges, as cases against officials in China are automatically dropped on their death.
