Before being promoted to deputy Party chief of Anyang in August 2009, Li had been vice-mayor of Sanmenxia from December 1998 to 2001. He became head of the organization department of Sanmenxia city's Party committee in 2001.

A number of corruption cases were investigated and exposed in Sanmenxia in 2009.

Tong Mengjiao, Party chief of Mianchi county, has been put under shuanggui - a form of detention in which officials are asked to confess wrongdoings, such as accepting bribes.

Shan Xiangdong, former director of Sanmenxia's city bureau of communications, was sentenced to 13 years in jail for accepting bribes valued at 2.22 million yuan ($326,500).

Huang Guohua, former director of Sanmenxia's housing administration, has been dismissed from his post as investigations pointed to him taking bribes worth 848,000 yuan.