Former Executive Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Under Investigation for Corruption

On July 31, the Palace Museum was submerged in water. Experts noted that the Palace Museum symbolizes imperial authority and is said to have remained flood-free for 600 years. Its sudden inundation is seen as an ominous sign of the CCP's declining fortune. (Composite video screenshot)

People News - On November 15, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission stationed in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, along with the Liaoning Provincial Supervisory Commission, announced that Wang Yamin, former Executive Deputy Director of the Palace Museum, is under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law." The Palace Museum is directly managed by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Comments from netizens under the news included speculation such as: “Could it be theft from within?” “Misuse of restoration funds?” and “Only your imagination limits what they can do—selling cultural relics perhaps?” The exact reasons for Wang’s downfall remain unclear.

Public records show that on August 16, 2023, Wang Yamin delivered a speech titled "The Digital Renaissance of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'" at the IXDC2024 International Experience Design Conference held at the National Convention Center in Beijing.

His presentation explored the successful application of digital technology in revitalizing the ancient masterpiece Along the River During the Qingming Festival (version 3.0). Wang highlighted how digital innovations transformed this thousand-year-old artwork into a benchmark for cultural and tourism products, inspiring cross-disciplinary collaboration and new creative possibilities.

According to a CCDI announcement on November 3, the Central Second Inspection Team had initiated a review of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Party Leadership Group. During the meeting, the team’s leader, Kong Shenggen, emphasized focusing on "key leaders" and "leadership teams." The investigation into Wang Yamin appears to be one result of this review.

Born in 1959, Wang Yamin spent much of his career in the publishing industry, holding roles such as President, Editor-in-Chief, and Party Secretary of Hebei Education Publishing House, as well as Deputy Director of Hebei Publishing Group.

In August 2006, Wang became President of the Palace Museum’s Forbidden City Publishing House. By April 2007, he had been appointed Deputy Director of the Palace Museum while retaining his publishing role. In January 2014, he became the Executive Deputy Director of the museum, a position he held until 2018.

During his tenure, Wang oversaw the Palace Museum's operations and cultural product development, creating numerous "hit" cultural products. Under his management, the variety of cultural products expanded to around 11,000, with annual sales reaching at least 1.5 billion RMB. Over four years, this amounted to over 6 billion RMB in cultural product revenue. Additionally, ticket sales generated at least 800 million RMB annually, also under Wang’s jurisdiction.

Given these substantial revenues, speculation suggests that Wang may have profited illicitly, leading to his eventual downfall, likely due to internal whistleblowers at the Palace Museum.

In a cultural talk show, former Palace Museum Director Shan Jixiang remarked: "The Palace Museum is always short on money, not temporarily, but perpetually." He explained this was due to the enormous costs of restoring and preserving cultural relics, maintaining the historic architecture, hosting exhibitions, and paying staff salaries. Despite revenue from ticket sales and cultural products, the central government also allocates special funds to the museum.

In such a financially strained environment, allegations of Wang embezzling large sums could provoke outrage among cultural and heritage enthusiasts. Their evidence and testimonies will likely determine Wang’s fate.

The fact that even a cultural institution like the Palace Museum can harbor corrupt officials reflects the staggering depth of systemic corruption within the Chinese Communist Party. 

(Original publication: People News)