• ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • SUPPORT
  • CONTACT
  • WORK
Friday, February 22, 2019
Shanghaiist
8 °c
Shanghai
7 ° Sat
6 ° Sun
6 ° Mon
5 ° Tue
5 ° Wed
9 ° Thu
  • NEWS

    Taiwan finally proposes Asia’s first draft law on gay marriage

    Trump praises China’s use of death penalty for drug dealers, implies that the US should follow suit

    Chinese billionaire calls Australia a “giant baby” after having his permanent residency revoked

    Air NZ flight to Shanghai was forced to turn back because of Taiwan reference in paperwork

    China releases video of Uighur musician to show he wasn’t tortured to death in re-education camp

    On mock cooking show, Taiwan premier trolls China with Winnie the Pooh doll

    China does even worse than usual in latest global freedom ranking

    “Exploitation.” Awkward translation faux pas spotted at China-Africa friendship event

    US hits Huawei with 23 criminal indictments for violating Iran sanctions, stealing trade secrets

    Canada’s ambassador to China fired after making more controversial comments about Meng Wanzhou case

    George Soros calls Xi Jinping the world’s “most dangerous opponent” to open societies

    Bing is back! Microsoft’s search engine is no longer blocked in China

    Chinese meat giant’s stocks surge after founder returns home following 3-year “disappearance”

    Canada’s ambassador to China says Meng Wanzhou has a “strong case” for fighting extradition

    China has blocked Bing

    Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun detained in China

    McDonald’s accused of supporting Taiwan independence with “controversial” commercial

    Massive sky corridor connected atop four skyscrapers in Chongqing

    Huawei founder says his company does not spy for China and would refuse if Beijing asked

    China issues travel alert of its own, warning its citizens about visiting Canada

  • L!FE
  • FOOD
  • GALLERY
  • VIDEO

    WATCH: Dad spotted driving on snowy road, pulling son behind in tire sled

    This is what a ¥10,000 seafood dinner looks like in Guangzhou

    WATCH: Heroic firefighter drags burning gas cylinder out of house

    WATCH: How to run a tea scam at Starbucks

    WATCH: Dude writes Chinese calligraphy on stone with power grinder

    WATCH: Rodrigo Duterte, Kim Jong-un impersonators mobbed in Hong Kong

    WATCH: Incredible synchronized performance from Shaolin students at this year’s Spring Festival Gala

    WATCH: Aerial footage of massive 5 km long traffic jam on Guangdong expressway during CNY rush

    PLA soldiers celebrate Chinese New Year by forming the shape of Peppa the Pig

    Photography Friday: An interview with Huang Xiaoliang

    Hangzhou hotel opens up hot pot-style hot spring for hungry guests

    Boy puts lit fireworks down manhole cover, blows up sidewalk

    Meet the kids who grew up in Chinese restaurants

    WATCH: Apple marks Chinese New Year with short, sweet film shot by Jia Zhangke on an iPhone XS

    Chinese internet falls in love with big fluffy emotional support dog on passenger plane

    WATCH: Bull escapes slaughterhouse, charges woman in restaurant

    WATCH: Aerial footage of Wuhan’s mindblowingly massive bullet train maintenance center

    WATCH: Shanxi principal replaces boring morning exercise routine with super cool dance moves

    WATCH: Laowai rents a Chinese dad

    WATCH: Chinese passersby get asked if they live in a democratic country

  • EVENTS
    • DINING
      • BRUNCH
      • AFTERNOON TEA
    • NIGHTLIFE
      • LADIES’ NIGHT
      • HAPPY HOUR
      • MUSIC
    • EXHIBITIONS
      • ART SHOWS
      • TRADE FAIRS
    • COMMUNITY
    • EDUCATION
    • ★ LIST YOUR EVENT
    • ★ BE A VENUE PARTNER
    • ★ SUBMIT A GALLERY
  • TICKETS
    • FAQ
No Result
View All Result
Shanghaiist
No Result
View All Result
Shanghaiist
No Result
View All Result

Man pretends to be the Qianlong Emperor, scams wealthy lady out of 40 million RMB

by Shanghaiist
May 5, 2018
in News

qianlong_scam-front.jpg
The “straddling bus” appeared certain to be the biggest scam of the year, but now, it has met its match: one man pretended to be a well known financier, while his partner impersonated the very dead Emperor Qianlong from Qing dynasty fame. Together, they managed to trick a wealthy lady into giving them more than 40 million RMB.
The elaborate plan began back in 2012, when the victim, Zheng Xueju, was looking for investment opportunities and met Wan Jianmin, People’s Daily reports. Wan bragged that he had fought in the Vietnam War and was previously the Commissioner of Jiangxi Province. As for his “financial background,” he revealed to Zheng that he is a Class 16 financier in China with extensive knowledge of foreign investment systems and currently manages a fund of more than 300 billion RMB. As if that wasn’t enough, Wan boasted that he was well-connected in the Chinese Communist Party, as well as with military elites; plus he knew “Qianlong.”
Obviously, Zheng wanted to meet the man who ruled China as emperor from 1735 to 1796. Wan’s accomplice, Liu Qianzhen, told the wealthy lady that he was actually the Qianlong Emperor (1711 – 1799), and that he was alive because he drank the elixir of life — a much sought after drug for ancient Chinese emperors. On top of living the high-life for over 300 years, Liu even bluffed that he had inherited all the wealth from rich Qing dynasty families.
Remarkably enough, the old lady believed the two tricksters. Wan told her about a lucrative potential investment and asked her for money. In 2014, she transferred 10 million RMB of her own savings and later transferred an additional 30 million RMB of her husband’s money to the two “promising” fellows.
Currently, they are on trial in Shenzhen for fraud, impersonation, and scamming for profit.
Netizens were in disbelief after hearing the story:
“How the hell did this lady get so rich in the first place?” @冰淇淋店长小麻衣 wrote.
“40 million in wealth, 40 for IQ,” @ 锋子0809 wrote.
“Does anyone have her contact info? I swear I’m the real Qianlong!” @寂寂有灵_默默有声 wrote.
By Sarah Lin
[Images via Weibo]

Share this:

  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Print
Shanghaiist

© 2005-2018 Shanghaiist - China in bite-sized portions!

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Join the Community
  • List Your Event
  • Be a Venue Partner
  • Submit a Gallery
  • Work with us
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • L!FE
  • FOOD
  • GALLERY
  • VIDEO
  • EVENTS
    • DINING
      • BRUNCH
      • AFTERNOON TEA
    • NIGHTLIFE
      • LADIES’ NIGHT
      • HAPPY HOUR
      • MUSIC
    • EXHIBITIONS
      • ART SHOWS
      • TRADE FAIRS
    • COMMUNITY
    • EDUCATION
    • ★ LIST YOUR EVENT
    • ★ BE A VENUE PARTNER
    • ★ SUBMIT A GALLERY
  • TICKETS
    • FAQ

© 2005-2018 Shanghaiist - China in bite-sized portions!