CPC expels former head of Chinese National Academy of Arts

Lian Ji, former head of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for serious violations of Party disciplines and national laws, China's top anti-corruption watchdogs announced on Friday.

The announcement was disclosed online by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision.

Lian, 71, a native of Shanxi province, was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation in February.

Following the investigation, Lian was found to have lost his ideals and accepted banquets in violation of regulations, and took money from others under the pretext of "brush-moistening fees", a term for payments and honoraria made to writers or calligraphers.

He improperly sought benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials, as well as accepted gifts and cash and had others pay for personal expenses that should have been borne by himself, according to the investigation.

In addition, he had no regard for discipline or law and was insatiably greedy. He engaged in rampant power-for-money deals, using his positions to seek benefits for others in areas such as business operations, project contracting and job adjustments, and then accepted huge sums of money and property in return.

The commissions said that they expelled Lian from the CPC because he had seriously breached the Party rules, constituted severe duty-related violations and allegedly committed the crime of bribery.

While confiscating his illicit gains, the commissions added that his suspected criminal offenses and related assets have been transferred to prosecutors for further review and investigation.

Public information shows that Lian began his career as a teacher in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in August 1974. He spent decades working in this region, holding a number of important positions, including vice-mayor of Hohhot and secretary of the Hulunbuir municipal Party committee.

In September 2011, he went to Gansu province, becoming head of its publicity department.

Between February 2016 and July 2018, he served as head of the Chinese National Academy of Arts.