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Chinese bureaucrat discards 4,000 bottles of Maotai wine

Chinese bureaucrat discards 4,000 bottles of Maotai wine

Posted January. 16, 2020 07:39,   

Updated January. 16, 2020 07:39

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In the fall of 2017, Guizhou Vice Governor Wang Xiaoguang noticed that an investigation on his corruption related to Maotai wine was underway. Maotai, known as the national drink of China, is one of the most prestigious wines in the country. The vice governor got nervous about his 4,000 bottles of Maotai that he had received as bribes and poured them into a large jar. To hide the origin of the wines, he ripped the packages into smaller pieces and discarded them since aged wines are more expensive.

Still feeling uneasy, he began to flush out the liquid into the sewage pipes in his bathroom. “The wine appears to have a bottomless pit as it continues to flow no matter how much is thrown away, flushed out or drank. “Why did you take the bribes in the first place?” lamented his wife, who looked on her husband bent over discarding the wine.

Wang Xiaoguang was eventually caught by the prosecutors and was deprived of his official titles due to bribery and embezzlement charges. On Sunday, CCTV reported details of his corruption, which had not been disclosed.

He had received four business rights to open Maotai liquor stores in his family’s and relatives’ name from the Maotai Group based in Guizhou province. The money he had received in bribers over seven years amounted 40 million yuan (around 6.7 billion won). Maotai Group Chairman Yuan Renguo also stepped down from his position last year.

The image of the national drink of China, which had been known and loved by Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong as well as the public, has been tainted, becoming a symbol of corruption and extravagance. The Maotai that was presented to Kim Jung Un’s visit to China in March 2017 by Chinese President Xi Jinping was known to be produced in the 1960-80s and valued around 1.28 million yuan (around 215 million won).


Wan-Jun Yun zeitung@donga.com