Wang Lijun, until February 2 vice mayor and head of the Public Security Bureau of Chongqing, was seen entering the U.S. consulate in Chengdu on February 6. A rumor quickly spread that Wang was attempting to seek asylum. Wang may have lost his post for presenting evidence of corruption by CCP Chongqing Committee Secretary Bo Xilai‘s wife. Despite censoring of terms related to the incident, the Wang asylum rumor and attendant satire continue to proliferate on Sina Weibo.

Alongside jokes about the former vice mayor of Chongqing’s “vacation-style therapy,” netizens are comparing Wang to Lin Biao, the man once assumed to be Mao Zedong’s successor but condemned as a traitor after his mysterious death in 1971. “Weibers” are also exploiting the “Wang Lijun Incident” to poke fun at the Fifty Cent Party.

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland confirmed on February 8 that Wang made and kept an appointment at the U.S. consulate in Chengdu and that he left “of his own volition.” The nature of his visit is under investigation. Wang may be dragging Bo along in his fall from grace.

Read previously translated comments here.

@i0301: Why did Wang Lijun flee to the American consulate instead of flying away like Lin Biao? Because he’d read the news and knew the Development and Reform Commission raised the price of oil again.
@i0301：王立军为什么跑到美领馆而不是如林彪一样坐飞机飞走？因为他看过新闻，知道发改委又上调油价了。

@gongminyaoyao: Wang Lijun teaches us that no matter how much of a fifty-center you are, at the moment of truth the Americans are boss.
@gongminyaoyao：王立军教育我们，不管怎么当五毛，关键时刻还是美国人才是亲爹啊！

@hesuoge: Weibo quote: Protective-style demolition, vacation-style therapy, condom-style rape, Chinese-style democracy.
@hesuoge：微博语录：保护性拆除、休假式疗养、带套式强奸、中国式民主。

@ChenQiye: Chengdu, the end point of the Fang-Han War.
@陈琦业：成都，一个终结方韩之争的城市。

@StarKnight: The law is not a shield, nor is the consulate an umbrella.
@StarKnight：法律不是挡箭牌，领馆亦非保护伞。

@hnjhj: To the Fifty-Centers and National Treasures “wiping screens” at this moment:  I am really worried about you guys. This is a very dangerous profession. You need to leave a way out, to give yourselves a lead. You should ensure that at the critical moment you can move freely in and out of America. If that’s not possible, you should ensure that you will not be refused asylum when you seek it at the consulate. And if that’s not possible, you should ensure that your application for a U.S. visa won’t be denied.
@hnjhj：此时此刻在推上刷屏的五毛、国保们啊，真替你们捉鸡啊，都是高风险行业啊，留后路很重要啊，要留足提前量啊。务必确保关键时刻可以自由进出美国啊，不行也要确保去领馆寻求庇护不能拒收啊，实在不行也要确保申请美国签证不能拒签啊。

@YeYing: [Chongqing Model #1]: : Let some people get nervous first (a play on Deng Xiaoping’s “Let some people get rich first”). [Chongqing Model #2]: Let some people fight with each other first. [Chongqing Model #3]: Let some people get vacation-style therapy first.
@叶隐：【重庆模式之一】：让一部分人先紧张起来。【重庆模式之二】让一部分人先咬起来。【重庆模式之三】让一部分人先休假式治疗起来。

@shmueloy: Before Bo Xilai was ready to play Mao Zedong, Wang Lijun was already playing Lin Biao.
@shmueloy：薄熙来还没准备好演毛贼东，王立军就已经入戏演林彪了。

@HistoricalTeacherYuanReturns: “Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.” –Claud Cockburn
@历史袁老师归来：任何消息未经官方否认之前，都不能轻易相信。 ——克劳德·柯克本