Weekend Long Read: Tycoon’s Eight-Hour Escape Exposes Failings of a Model Chinese Prison
00:00/00:00
Listen to this article
1x
Subscribe now
Listen to the full version
Listen to the full version
Lin Jianwei. Photo: Photo: AI generated
“Guard Ding, come to the bedroom for a moment,” Lin Jianwei said to Ding Ruowei, who was drinking tea in the living room of a hotel suite. As the guard walked toward him, another man, Zhan Weiqin, who had been moving toward the living room, passed him. In an instant, Zhan grabbed Ding from behind, wrapping his arms around the guard’s waist and wrestling him to the ground. Lin moved in, taping Ding’s mouth shut with packing tape and binding his hands and feet with rope.
You've accessed an article available only to subscribers
VIEW OPTIONS
Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.
Subscribe to both Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal — for the price of one.
Share this article
Open WeChat and scan the QR code
- DIGEST HUB
Digest Hub
Back
What Happened When
- April 1964：
- Lin Jianwei was born in Huilai county, Jieyang, Guangdong province.
- 1985：
- Lin Jianwei left the military at age 21.
- April 1990：
- Lu Ping, at age 29, became deputy Communist Party secretary at the Changsha Cigarette Factory.
- 1992：
- Hunan Jinsali, a joint venture, was established.
- 1994：
- Lin Jianwei and Lu Ping were introduced by a Changsha official.
- Second half of 1995：
- Lu Ping and Lin Jianwei met in Shantou, and their relationship rapidly intensified.
- 1997：
- Lin Jianwei founded Shenzhen Huixiangda Industrial Co.
- 2000：
- Lu Ping became factory director at Changsha Cigarette Factory.
- July 2001：
- Lu Ping helped orchestrate the transfer of a 19% stake in Hunan Jinsali to Lin’s company, Shenzhen Huixiangda.
- 2001：
- Lin Jianwei was appointed director of Hunan Jinsali Color Printing Co.
- 2001-2016：
- Lin, with Lu’s help, secured significant profits through business with Hunan Jinsali and Hunan China Tobacco.
- 2003：
- Lin Jianwei and Lu Ping embezzled 135 million yuan from Changsha Cigarette Factory, returning 100 million yuan two months later.
- April 2012：
- Lin Jianwei obtained Singaporean citizenship.
- October 2012：
- Lin Jianwei had his Chinese citizenship canceled.
- 2013：
- Zhou Changgong, former general manager of Hunan China Tobacco, was investigated.
- 2014：
- Lu Ping promoted to general manager and party secretary of Hunan China Tobacco.
- 2015：
- Weng Guangsong, the Hong Kong partner, implicated as Zhou Changgong’s top briber; Hunan Jinsali disqualified from bidding for printing projects.
- Oct. 30, 2020：
- Hunan’s anti-graft watchdog announced that Lu Ping was under investigation.
- Late October 2020：
- A few days earlier than Oct. 30, Lin Jianwei detained by police on suspicion of bid-rigging.
- April 27, 2021：
- Lin Jianwei was formally arrested in Qidong county, Hengyang, Hunan.
- 2021：
- Hengyang County Detention Center was named a “National Model for Infrastructure Construction.”
- January 2022：
- A provincial anti-corruption documentary aired, exposing Lu Ping’s major bribery and embezzlement.
- March 2022：
- Zhan Weiqin sentenced to two years and two months for concealing criminal proceeds.
- 2022：
- Hengyang County Detention Center was named a “First-Class Detention Center.”
- Second half of 2023：
- Lin Jianwei's trial began at Hengyang Intermediate People’s Court.
- Before March 2024：
- Mai Jianhui managed Lin's affairs while Lin was detained, delivered bribes for special treatment.
- February 2024：
- Lin Jianwei began planning his escape using smuggled phone and arranging contacts and funds.
- March 11, 2024：
- Zheng and Deng collected 2 million yuan in cash and Lin’s passport for the escape operation.
- March 16, 2024, around 1:16 p.m.：
- Lin Jianwei escaped from police custody with Zhan Weiqin, fleeing from the Vienna International Hotel.
- March 16, 2024, around 9 p.m.：
- Lin Jianwei, Chen Yonghui, and Li Mingdong were arrested by police in Fangchenggang, about eight hours after the escape.
- After March 16, 2024：
- Hengyang County Detention Center was stripped of its 'National First-Class Detention Center' title after Lin's escape.
- July 2024：
- Jingshi Technology disclosed that its subsidiary, Jingshi Yinwu, was found guilty of corporate bribery.
- July 30, 2024：
- Lin Jianwei was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve; accomplices in the escape were also sentenced.
AI generated, for reference only
- PODCAST
- MOST POPULAR
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新