For the past decade, China’s Shandong Lanxiang Vocational School in Jinan has been embroiled in a series of scandals involving its wealthy president, Rong Lanxiang. Rong’s family is known locally for their retaliatory in-fighting and illegal activities. The school’s scandals include accusations of cybercrimes targeting U.S. companies on behalf of the Chinese regime (CCP) and military.
Background and CCP Military Ties
Rong Lanxiang grew up poor on a farm in the eastern half of Shandong province. He later became an entrepreneur skilled in painting and sofa making. With the help of his future wife, Kong Suying, and a loan from her veteran father, Rong founded a small vocational school in 1984 that taught painting, sofa making, and sewing. His rise to wealth didn’t begin until 1988 when his school was purchased by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and named the 55151 Army Lanxiang Vocational and Technical College.After the sale, Rong remained with the school and benefitted financially due to the endless supply of students provided by the military. Then in 1997, the Central Military Commission changed its policies to prevent the army from engaging in commercial enterprises. The school was returned to Rong who made a fortune, which he used to buy property and expand the school’s campus.
