Zhou Jiugeng, director of the Housing Management Department of the provincial capital Nanjing’s Jiangning District, was removed from his post on December 28, 2008 for his improper words and the negative influence caused by them.

On December 10, when interviewed by the media, Zhou said that his department and the price department would punish the property developers selling the houses below cost. Many netizens, who had been complaining about the soaring house prices,  were dissatisfied with what he said and issued many posts on the Internet to criticize his sayings.

But his trouble was not limited to this. A photograph showing his lavish lifestyle of him was posted on the Internet: Zhou was seen to wear a Vacheron Constantin watch and enjoy an expensive brand of cigarettes in a conference. The watch would have cost at least 100,000 yuan (USD 14,500) in China, while each carton of the Nanjing 95 Imperial cigarettes sells for 1,800 yuan (USD 263.8). He was also found to drive a Cadillac car to work. The netizens asked the discipline inspection committee of Nanjing to make an investigation on him.

The officials of Jiangning District said on December 19 that no property dealers were punished for lowering the house price and the investigation upon Zhou Jiugeng for his lavish lifestyle had already begun. After the primary investigation of the discipline inspection committee of Jiangning District, Zhou Jiugeng was removed from his post.