Zibo · Full chronicle and history

On October 8, according to Xiaoxiang Morning News, a person surnamed Lu submitted an application for state compensation of about 4.237 million yuan, including about 3.02 million yuan for his father's medical, death, and funeral expenses, and demanded that the court issue a public apology and hold the relevant case-handling personnel accountable.

Around 15:00 on October 2, a netizen operated a drone near Hutouya in Yucheng Town, Boshan District, Zibo City without filing a flight plan and within controlled airspace, with one instance exceeding an altitude of 120 meters for about seven or eight seconds. The Boshan Branch of the Zibo Municipal Public Security Bureau ordered the person to stop flying and fined them 200 yuan. The netizen said they had been caught once before but not punished, and posted the notice on Xiaohongshu on October 4.

On August 13, 2026, netizens reported that Zibo in Shandong and other places have long been in arrears on talent subsidies for up to 24 months. The Zibo municipal government had previously responded that subsidies could not be paid on time due to a shortage of fiscal funds, and netizens from many other places also reported similar problems of unpaid subsidies.

On July 15, a fire broke out in the wedding banquet hall of Shuoguan Hotel in Linzi District, Zibo, Shandong.

Jiang Duntao, former Party Secretary of Zibo City, Shandong Province—who once rose to fame due to the Zibo barbecue craze—has been accused of taking on massive debts and making blind investments, and has been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and handed over to judicial authorities.

On October 25, 2025, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced that Jiang Duntao, former Vice Mayor of Chongqing and former Party Secretary of Zibo, was under investigation on suspicion of serious violations of discipline and law; the notice stated that during his tenure in Zibo he forcefully pushed projects and took on massive new debt.

On October 8, 2024, the Zibo Intermediate People's Court, in a retrial, found that the compensation received by a person surnamed Lu had been determined through negotiation between both parties, with no intent of illegal possession, and overturned the original verdict, declaring him not guilty.

After China lifted its lockdowns, official media and short-video platforms concentrated on promoting Zibo barbecue, turning Zibo into an internet-famous city, after which various localities followed suit and built barbecue consumption projects.

According to reports, by 2022 Zibo's debt increased to approximately 108 billion RMB, doubling from before Jiang Duntao took office.

In 2021, a man surnamed Lu in Zibo, Shandong, collected 25,000 yuan in compensation from his wife's lover after catching them in bed, and was sentenced to six months for extortion.

After taking over Zibo, Jiang Dundao pushed consumption projects such as bars, cafes, and music festivals, in an attempt to drive the transformation and economic growth of this old industrial city.