Li Shiming (Chinese: 李世明; pinyin: Li Shìmíng; died September 23, 2008[1]) was Party chief of Xiashuixi Village (Chinese: 下水西村; pinyin: Xiàshuǐ Xicūn), which is located in Lüliang, Shanxi, China.[2]
According to locals, he used his Communist party status to seize land, extort money, and constantly bully and harass the villagers, even using violence against villagers and their families. A local farmer, Zhang Huping (simplified Chinese: 张虎平; traditional Chinese: 張虎平; pinyin: Zhāng Hǔpíng), had been harassed by Shiming for years, and had been detained on fabricated charges after he and a group of farmers sought the help of the Provincial authorities after Shiming razed 28 acres (110,000 m2) of trees on their property without their permission or an offer of compensation.
Huping hired 19-year-old Zhang Xuping (simplified Chinese: 张旭平; traditional Chinese: 張旭平; pinyin: Zhāng Xùpíng) to kill Shiming for 1,000 Yuan. In September 2008, Xuping entered a school where Shiming was attending a meeting, and stabbed him in the chest. Shiming died whilst driving himself to hospital.[3]
Xuping, who was subsequently charged with the killing and sentenced to death, gained the status of a folk hero locally, as Shiming was hated in the town. Many openly expressed sympathy for Xuping and hatred for Shiming. More than 20,000 people in China's Shanxi Province signed a petition requesting lenience for Xuping.
The deceased, Li Shiming, is not to be confused with another living person of the same name - Li Shiming - who is currently commander of the PLA Chengdu Military Region. Commander Li Shiming and other military leaders were reported[4] to have attended a choral performance by 将军后代合唱团 (a Chinese singing group) in August 2009, almost 12 months after village chief Li Shiming's death. This report confirms that the deceased and the military commander are not the same person.