[The Epoch Times, February 20, 2026](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Tang Bing) Successive leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have been accused of forming a “harem culture” when they came to power. Recently, an article took stock of scandals such as sexual incest and family corruption among the leaders of the so-called “Five Generations” of the CCP, pointing out that this is a chronic disease of the CCP’s power system.
The Chinese Communist Party’s “Five Generations” harem culture attracts attention
Current affairs commentator “New Heights” talked about the CCP’s “harem culture phenomenon” on February 20. It is believed that in the Chinese Communist Party’s power system, “harem culture” refers to high-level officials placing spouses, mistresses or relatives through various channels to maintain private lives, transfer assets or avoid risks.
The article lists five major units where official wives and mistresses gather, including party schools/continuing education colleges, libraries/cultural centers/archives, federations of literary and art circles/women’s federations/writers’ associations, as well as central state-owned enterprises, the Red Cross/disabled persons’ federations and other welfare institutions; there are also cultural troupes, federations of trade unions, and the practice of sending mistresses to settle abroad.
The article analyzes the evolution of this “harem culture”. During the Mao Zedong era, Mao had four official wives, and the relationship between his mistresses was more complicated, including Jiang Qing, who was packaged as a “revolutionary comrade” during the Yan’an period. Jiang Qing was placed in a literary and artistic unit in Shanghai in his early years, and later took charge of the cultural field during the Cultural Revolution. He Zizhen was sent to the Soviet Union for “treatment” due to mental problems, which was actually an early overseas resettlement. This model inspired many officials to follow suit.
During the Deng Xiaoping era, harem culture turned to economic interests. For example, Deng Pufang founded Kanghua Company and was involved in corruption, and Deng Nan and others worked in cultural/public welfare organizations, etc. It is rumored that his family members’ migration overseas is in line with the foreign property transfer pattern.
During the Jiang Zemin era, Jiang’s wife Wang Yeping kept a low profile, but it was rumored that Jiang had close relationships with women in the literary and artistic circles, the most famous of which was singer Song Zuying. Song started out in the Navy Art Troupe and quickly rose to become a regular guest at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was placed in a typical art troupe, which provided a stable position and financial rewards. Close associates of the Jiang family are involved in monopoly industries such as oil and telecommunications. It is rumored that the Jiang family’s overseas migration is suspected of property transfer.
During the Hu Jintao era, Hu Jintao and his wife Liu Yongqing had a stable marriage and kept a low profile with no public rumors about his mistress. However, in the planned case ordered by Hu’s subordinates, his wife Gu Liping was involved in the Red Cross and other public welfare organizations to make money, which was in line with the low-key arrangement of “serving specific groups and doing simple work.”
After Xi Jinping came to power, various corruption scandals accumulated during the Jiang and Hu eras were frequently exposed. Senior officials such as Zhou Yongkang and Ling Jihua were confirmed to use the Central Committee as their “harem.” The article believes that Zhou Yongkang’s exposure of his mistress network proves that harem culture has become systematically corrupt.
“New Heights” also pointed out that in Xi Jinping’s era, Xi’s anti-corruption only targets others and not himself. Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan was born in an art troupe and went from singer to “first lady”, which reflects the convenience of art units. Xi’s anti-corruption campaign targets political opponents, and his own “harem” is maintained through strict secrecy. In addition, rumors about the overseas assets of the Xi family confirm the path of property transfer.
The author believes that the examples of the five generations of the CCP show that harem culture is a chronic disease of the CCP’s power system and stems from the vacuum of supervision.
Zhang Gaoli’s sex scandal caused a sensation
The previous article did not mention the sensational Zhang Gaoli sex scandal during the Xi era.
Peng Shuai, a well-known female tennis player in China, revealed on Weibo on November 2, 2021 that she was sexually assaulted multiple times by Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and former Vice Prime Minister.
Peng Shuai wrote at the time: “About three years ago, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli retired, and Dr. Liu from the Tianjin Tennis Center contacted me and asked me to play at the Kangming Building in Beijing.”
Cai Xia, a retired professor at the Central Party School, revealed on Twitter: “A north-south road south of Ping’an Avenue in Beijing’s Second Ring Road near Kangming Building is the State Council Retired Cadre Activity Center.”
Peng Shuai wrote that on that day three years ago, “after playing basketball in the morning, you and your wife Kang Jie took me to your home,” where Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex. She also mentioned that the situation was the same as more than ten years ago, when Zhang Gaoli was the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee Secretary.
What is unbelievable is that when Zhang Gaoli did this, he asked his wife Kang Jie to help guard outside alone. Peng Shuai continued to write that after Zhang Gaoli was promoted to a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and went to Beijing, he never contacted Peng Shuai again. However, after the forced sex three years ago, she and Zhang Gaoli resumed their relationship as lovers.
It is said that Zhang Gaoli insisted that Peng Shuai keep it secret, and Peng Shuai “felt like a zombie.” In the end, Zhang Gaoli “played for fun and gave up if he didn’t want to” just like he did seven years ago. There was a quarrel between them…
Peng Shuai lost contact with the outside world for several weeks after exposing the Zhang Gaoli scandal on Weibo. The Chinese Communist Party officials have refused to respond directly. The incident has evolved into a Chinese Communist Party scandal that has attracted widespread attention from the international community. Later, Peng Shuai denied that she had been sexually assaulted in an interview with international media, but the outside world believed that she had no freedom of speech under the control of the CCP.
At the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022, Zhang Gaoli appeared for the first time after being involved in the sexual assault scandal, showing that he was not affected in any way. After that, Zhang Gaoli appeared as usual at various occasions where former senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party made regular collective appearances, or was included in relevant lists.
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times that the incidents involving Zhang Gaoli and Peng Shuai would have been publicly investigated in the West, and the politicians would have resigned or been imprisoned. But under the rule of the CCP, Zhang Gaoli was protected by high-level officials. The authorities claim that there are no forbidden areas in the fight against corruption. When dealing with some officials, they will also disclose issues such as power and sex trafficking. But when he reaches the level of former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhang Gaoli, he is lightly let off. This will also make the Chinese people think, how many other high-level people in the CCP would commit similar crimes? Did they have to cover up Zhang Gaoli in order to cover up their crimes?
Editor in charge: Lin Congwen#
