"Zhang He looked black, so he joked with his subordinates, saying that his nickname was 'Black and White Mayor,' which meant that although he looked 'black,' he was not 'black' for officials, and he was a 'white' clean official." Li Lin said.
Zhang He, who calls himself the "Mayor of Buyi", likes to show his pro-people image. Infographic
Text | Beijing News reporter Wang Yuqian intern Du Meng
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On April 29, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Zhang He, former member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial CPC Committee and vice governor of Hebei Province, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and was under disciplinary review and supervision and investigation by the State Supervision Commission of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Zhang He, 70, has been retired for nearly 10 years. From 2003 to 2006, he served as party secretary of Tangshan. During his reign in Tangshan, he vigorously promoted the construction of Caofeidian Industrial Zone.
When Zhang He was in office, there were many rumors of his "accident". In October 2006, Zhang He ceased to serve as secretary of the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee and became vice governor of Hebei Province. But only a month later, he retired from the standing committee of the provincial party committee. After retiring in 2011, in the memories of his neighbors, Zhang He lived a quiet life of playing cards and walking corners.
After the Eighteenth National Congress, when Zhang He was the mayor of Tangshan and the secretary of the municipal party committee, many officials or subordinates who worked with him fell.
"Retirement doesn't mean you're in the safe. Whether it is the present or the past, as long as there is corruption, violation of law and discipline, after discovery, it must be handled in accordance with relevant disciplines and laws and regulations. Zhu Lijia, a professor at the National School of Administration, said, "This is an important symbol of our strict management of the party." ”
Youth Zhang He
Zhang He was born in 1950 in Qianxi, Hebei Province, and his career never left Hebei.
East Lotus Courtyard Village, East Lotus Courtyard Township, where he was born, is located 30 kilometers southeast of Qianxi County, which was the hinterland of the revolutionary base area in eastern Hebei during the revolutionary war years.
Zhang He's childhood playmate Wang Hu (pseudonym) said that after the founding of New China, Zhang He's father went to work at the Kailuan Linxi Mining Company in Tangshan.
At that time, Linxi Mine was one of the five major mines in the Kailuan Coal Mine, located in the Guye District of Tangshan City (then known as the "East Mining Area"). Wang Hu recalled that later, Zhang He's mother also moved to Linxi, and Zhang He and his sister were left by their parents in their hometown and lived with their grandmother. "Zhang He's grandmother is very frugal, lives a meticulous life, and loves her grandson very much."
In The Village of East Lotus Courtyard in Qianxi County, the gate of Zhang He's hometown was closed. Beijing News reporter Wang Yuqian photographed
A number of villagers in Donglianhuayuan Village recalled to the Beijing News reporter that Zhang He had good academic performance since he was a child, especially love mathematics. When he was a teenager, after finishing middle school in the village, he and his fellow villagers went to the production team to "catch points". At that time, there were a total of 17 production teams in the village, and Zhang He was assigned to the 5th production team.
Chen Mian (pseudonym), a villager who was in the same production team as Zhang He, recalled that the teenager Zhang He could earn 10 work points a day in the production team. When the sky was dark, Zhang He carried a basket up the mountain to collect firewood, pick up dung, and plant crops. You can earn 2 points in the morning, 4 points in the morning, and 4 points in the afternoon. When settling the total income after the autumn, the family with a good dividend can earn more than 4 cents a day.
In 1969, Zhang He joined the Qianxi County Dou Correction Task Force, and then worked as an accountant in the County Agricultural Machinery Bureau. In 1973, Zhang He was recommended to study in the Mathematics Department of Hebei Normal University.
Wang Hu recalled that after Graduating from University, Zhang He was assigned to Donghuangyu in Qianxi County as the secretary of the Youth League Committee of the Working Committee. When he was in Donghuangyu, he was introduced by people and had children in the Cheng family. Two years later, he became a cadre of the Tangshan Committee of the Communist Youth League, and rarely returned to his hometown.
In the impression of many of Zhang He's neighbors, he has a deep relationship with his grandmother. Wang Hu recalled that after Zhang He was transferred to Tangshan, he took his grandmother to his side to support him until the old man died after he was a hundred years old.
In the Tangshan Kailuan Linxi Coal Mine, few people remember Zhang and his parents. In the 1990s, they retired from their jobs as coal miners, first moving to the Donggongfang community, not far from the coal mines, and later to a secluded neighborhood next to the department store. Soon after, Zhang He's father died, and his mother lived alone.
A neighbor told the Beijing News reporter that during Zhang He's tenure as mayor and secretary of the municipal party committee, every time he came to visit his mother, he was extremely low-key, and sometimes he did not even notice that he had returned. On weekdays, due to her old age, his mother stayed at home and rarely communicated with others.
Due to its age, the exterior facilities of the community are old, and there are messy wires hanging on the walls. There was no one in Zhang's mother's house, and there was a reminder for electricity bills from a few months ago posted on the door.
Zhang and his mother's home. Beijing News reporter Wang Yuqian photographed
Self-proclaimed "Mayor of Black and White"
Public resumes show that in January 2003, the 53-year-old Zhang He became the secretary of the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee.
At that time, he had been in Tangshan for 25 years. Starting from a clerk in the office of the Tangshan Municipal Government (then known as the "Tangshan District Administration"), he successively served as the deputy chief of the comprehensive section of the municipal government office, the deputy director of the office, the secretary general, the assistant mayor, the deputy mayor, the acting mayor, and the mayor.
A person close to the Tangshan officialdom said that in the 1980s, governments at all levels attached great importance to the selection of young cadres, and the appointment of young cadres appeared from time to time. Zhang He, as a young cadre with academic qualifications, was twice promoted out of the ordinary. After that, the career was smooth sailing.
"He doesn't have a backstage or a strong family background." A Tangshan official who has known Zhang He for decades told the Beijing News.
According to media reports, on January 4, 2003, at a meeting of leading cadres in Tangshan City, Gao Xitong, deputy director of the Organization Department of the Hebei Provincial PARTY Committee, announced Zhang He's decision to become secretary of the Tangshan Municipal CPC Committee.
On the third day after the decision was announced, Zhang He attended the event for the first time as the secretary of the municipal party committee and the mayor. At the completion and navigation ceremony of the berth of Jingtang Port Co., Ltd., Zhang He said in a speech, "Accelerating the construction of the port, including the Caofeidian deep-water terminal, is one of the 'Four Great Xingshi' projects recently proposed by the municipal party committee and the municipal government." ”
In the early days of serving as the secretary of the Tangshan Municipal CPC Committee, Zhang He repeatedly mentioned in the "Tangshan Labor Daily" the idea of governing the city, "dare to think", "dare to say", and "dare to do", and proposed to "increase pressure on oneself and establish the ambition of walking in the forefront of the province", "strive to find the position of Tangshan in Hebei and even in the cities of northern China, and find the position of Tangshan in the four triangle areas of the country." ”
Li Lin (pseudonym), a retired official familiar with Zhang He, told the Beijing News that Zhang He's ruling style is strong and decisive, but he is also arbitrary.
He said: At that time, Zhang He promoted a "paternalistic style," and the cadres under his hands dared to manage and speak, but they also acted domineeringly. In Li Lin's eyes, Zhang He insisted on his predecessor's projects and insisted on personal interests for him, and withdrew those that did not benefit him. "Zhang He looked black, so he joked with his subordinates, saying that his nickname was 'Black and White Mayor,' which meant that although he looked 'black,' he was not 'black' for officials, and he was a 'white' clean official." Li Lin said.
During Zhang He's reign in Tangshan, he focused on promoting one of the "Four Great Xingshi Projects" and the "No. 1 Project" caofeidian industrial zone project in Hebei Province, which was initially regarded as "China's future 'Rotterdam'".
Caofeidian is a small island located in the southern waters of Tangshan Luannan County, with the goal of building a deep-water port in the north, and thus driving the development of a series of port industries.
A thermal power plant in Caofeidian on April 11, 2014. Beijing News reporter Yin Yafei photographed
Zhang He once told the media, "In the past, Tangshan started by eating resources and rice. Black coal capital, the road is also black, walk on the street, this dress, you can't go back to use a day to change, all is soot, we are now called to rewrite the history of black coal capital with blue ideas. The blue idea is to do the article of the ocean, eat resources, there will always be a day when the resources are exhausted, if Tangshan is not open, there is no hope for the city of Tangshan. ”
To this end, in February 2004, the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee and the Tangshan Municipal Government spent 10 months and five drafts to compile the "Tangshan Marine Economic Development Strategic Plan", which was called "China's first prefectural and municipal marine economic planning". According to the "Planning", at present, Tangshan's marine economy is at the level of domestic development in the middle and lower levels, but there will be a relatively rapid stage of development in the future. "Strive to achieve a total output value of the marine economy of nearly 50 billion yuan in 2015."
In the third year of Zhang He's reign in Tangshan, the Caofeidian Industrial Zone entered the stage of comprehensive construction.
On October 8 of that year, the Party Working Committee and Management Committee of Caofeidian Industrial Zone were established and began to perform their functions. "In the face of such a vigorous scene, all those who have come will feel a bright spot, a heartbeat, and an excitement again and again." Zhang He said, "With the strength of the whole city to build Caofeidian, the things that need to be done by all localities and departments must be given a green light all the way, and we must not set up cards and form obstacles from it." In the next 5 years, we will invest 180 billion yuan to 200 billion yuan here. ”
A Tangshan official, who has now retreated to the second line, told the Beijing News that some of Caofeidian's projects at that time were not completely uncontroversial, but Zhang He's attitude was, "In key projects, even if you spend more money, you have to do it." For example, some people did not agree to build a highway, and Zhang He insisted on it, forcing out the objections. ”
On December 16, 2005, the Caofeidian Port Area of Tangshan Port was officially opened for navigation. At the scene of the ceremony, Zhang He, who wore a hard hat and accompanied leaders at all levels to visit, had a smile on his face. In his New Year's message the following year, Zhang He recalled, "This opening of the ship is a miracle in the history of China's port construction. ”
However, according to a 2013 report by the People's Daily News, words such as "rotten tail", "debt" and "depression" frequently appeared in news headlines along with "Caofeidian", vacant eco-cities, industrial parks, and many projects suffered from unpaid suspensions.
An expert from the Hebei Academy of Social Sciences once pointed to the plight of Cao Feidian to the reporter of China Business Daily, "This is related to the fact that the stalls were too large, the goal was set too high, and the location in the Port Group of Bohai Bay was not found." ”
Two-faced official
An official familiar with Mr. Zhang said mr. Zhang liked to show his pro-people side. In a 2005 interview, he called himself "Mayor of Cloth." "As a mayor, first of all, he is a citizen himself, and he is a good citizen." "I went to school, joined the work, until today I became a mayor, a secretary, and I will not change the true colors of farmers, workers, and commoners, and I will not lose them." Now my brother and sister, including other relatives, are still kailuan workers. ”
On the front page of the "Tangshan Labor Daily", every three forks and five minutes, Zhang He will carry a shovel, participate in the volunteer labor of innovation and health, plant trees, snow plowing, and pull out weeds. In a report, Zhang He once said at a meeting, "If you want to go through with yourself, find faults with yourself, and carry out a thorough cleanup in Tangshan, in the future, if you find out which unit or department has not moved, you should consider moving their leadership positions." ”
On the other hand, unlike the image displayed by the state media, Zhang He's reputation in the private sector has been criticized, especially the demolition and construction. Wang Cailiang, director of Beijing Cailiang Law Firm, represented a number of Tangshan demolition cases. He told the Beijing News reporter that for many years, in Hebei Province, the contradiction between demolition and relocation in Tangshan is very serious.
In Tangshan, Zhang He lived in the Yingchun Li Qinyuanlou community built in the 1990s, each household is a duplex structure, an area of about 180 square meters, equipped with gardens and garages, the community is mostly inhabited by cadres above the level of deputy mayor.
Zhang He's residence in Tangshan. Beijing News reporter Wang Yuqian photographed
On May 3, the Beijing News saw in front of Zhang He's residence that the gate was locked and a car with a "Ji A" license plate was parked in the garden. A neighbor said he had not seen Mr. Zhang and his family for more than half a month. "They usually stay in Shijiazhuang, and when they are on vacation, they return to Tangshan to live."
In October 2006, Zhang He was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, vice governor of the provincial government, and a member of the party group. After only a month, Zhang He stopped serving as a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and became a vice governor of the non-Provincial Party Committee.
Until his retirement in January 2011, he was not included in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. A retired Tangshan official who had intersected with Zhang He told the Beijing News that Zhang He's withdrawal from the Standing Committee was a very abnormal phenomenon. At that time, there were many rumors of Zhang and accidents. Later, he was the vice governor for more than four years, and the rumors were self-defeating.
Ten years after stepping down as vice governor, he was investigated
In January 2011, Zhang He resigned as vice governor and remained deputy secretary of the party group of the Hebei provincial government, and became a special consultant of the provincial government.
Three years later, Zhang He stepped down as deputy secretary of the provincial government's party group and was invited to consult. The most recent public appearance was in August 2017, when Zhang He came to Tangshan Jingtanggang District for investigation and investigation.
According to many neighbors in the Qinyuan Lou community in Tangshan Yingchun, after retirement, Zhang He's life was much calmer. During his stay in Tangshan, he walked and played cards in the woods behind the Qinyuanlou community every day. A video obtained by a reporter from the Beijing News showed Zhang He, who was already full of white hair, wearing a black coat and holding a cigarette in his hand, standing next to a small stone table, playing cards with neighbors, no different from ordinary people.
After retirement, Zhang He often played cards and walked in the small forest next to his residence in Tangshan. Courtesy of respondents
Some neighbors said that in order to facilitate the gathering of people to entertain, Zhang He built two pavilions on the shore of the lake in the small forest through coordination. His life seemed idle, and every time he met in the grove, he would nod at us in response. He didn't show up until half a month ago. ”
"In fact, Zhang He's career is going down." Zhu Lijia, a professor at the National School of Administration, analyzed the Beijing News reporter that generally local deputy provincial cadres or vice governors have to work in the people's congress or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for several years after retirement, but Zhang He did not. "Personally, I think it is very likely that his subordinates or surrounding officials are corrupt, or some entrepreneurs have accidents, and they have investigated and implicated him."
After the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Tangshan set off an anti-corruption storm, and a number of Officials of the Tangshan Municipal People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference were dismissed. Several officials with contacts with Zhang He were also investigated. In December 2016, Li Xiaojun, vice mayor of Tangshan, fell from power, and during Zhang He's tenure as mayor of Tangshan, he was deputy director of the General Office of the Tangshan Municipal Government; Ai Wenli, former vice chairman of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who fell in 2018, was a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department when Zhang He was mayor of Tangshan.
During Zhang He's tenure as secretary of the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee, two vice mayors promoted during his tenure were also investigated. One of them was Yu Shan, who was also a Qianxi native with Zhang He. Three months after Zhang He became secretary of the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee, Yu Shan was promoted from director of the Tangshan Municipal Planning Bureau to vice mayor, and thereafter served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Tangshan Municipal Party Committee, director of propaganda, and director of Hebei Daily. According to China News Weekly, Yushan was prosecuted in February this year, and the procuratorate alleged that during his tenure as director of the Planning Bureau of Tangshan City, Vice Mayor, Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal CPC Committee, and director of the Propaganda Department in Hebei Province, he took advantage of his position to seek benefits for relevant units and individuals, illegally accepting or soliciting property from others, the amount of which was particularly huge, and that he should be investigated for criminal responsibility for accepting bribes according to law.
Another vice mayor, Chen Xuejun, was promoted at the same time as Yu Shan, and was promoted from the secretary of the Kaiping District Party Committee of Tangshan City to the vice mayor. Chen Xuejun also served as the secretary of the working committee and the director of the management committee of caofeidian industrial zone. In May 2015, Chen Xuejun was appointed secretary of the party group of the Hebei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and was investigated a month later.
A number of Tangshan official retirees told the Beijing News reporter that Chen Xuejun had been promoted by Zhang He and had a close relationship with him. According to Phoenix Weekly, Chen Xuejun was involved in the investment and construction of the Nanbao Development Zone and the Houcaofeidian New Area, and his son intervened in sand blowing and other engineering projects, causing many criticisms. After Chen's fall, 10 officials from the Caofeidian Management Committee were assisting in the investigation.
"Over the past many years, some problem officials have been secretly glad that they landed safely once they retired. In recent years, it is no accident that such intensive investigation and punishment of retired departmental and even ministerial-level officials is sending a strong anti-corruption signal: the anti-corruption campaign is still deepening, the stock of corruption is still being further digested, and there will be no leniency policy for officials with serious problems. An official observer analyzed the Beijing News reporter.