Tang Yijun, a former senior political advisor in East China's Jiangxi Province, confesses in the documentary. Photo: a screenshot by CCTV

An anti-graft documentary uncovering grassroots corruption and hidden tactics through prominent cases of high-level corrupt officials began to air on Sunday, demonstrating China's commitment to fighting corruption for the people, and constantly enhancing their sense of gain, happiness and security.

The documentary will share a total of 12 cases in four episodes from Sunday to Wednesday. It was co-produced by the Publicity Department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Commission of Supervision and China Central Television (CCTV).

According to a trailer released by CCTV, Sun Zhigang, former secretary of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, who has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes in October 2024, confessed that he failed the training and trust of the Party, lost sight of his bottom line and committed serious mistakes and crimes.

Sun was convicted of illegally accepting bribes worth over 813 million yuan ($114 million), either by himself or via other people, the Xinhua News Agency reported in October.

"Look at what I have done, I am so ashamed and disgraced," said Tang Yijun, a former senior political advisor in East China's Jiangxi Province, in the documentary.

Tang, former chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), had taken advantage of his power to seek benefits for others in matters such as enterprise operation and listing, job promotion and legal-case handling, illegally accepting huge amounts of money and valuables in return. China's Supreme People's Procuratorate ordered the arrest of Tang for suspected bribe-taking in October 2024.

Cui Maohu, former head of the National Religious Affairs Administration, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes, said in the documentary that "when you overlook small details, they can eventually grow into serious issues."

An investigation into Cui's case revealed that between 2007 and 2023, he took undue advantage of his positions to secure benefits for others in matters of project contracting, payment allocation and official appointments. In return, he illegally accepted money and property worth 10.43 million yuan, as reported by Xinhua in July 2024.

According to the trailer, Sun Shutao, formerly a senior political advisor in East China's Shandong Province, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on the charge of accepting bribes in June 2024, said that "in order to seek promotion and pursue political achievements, I inflated the GDP to such a high level, which I deeply regret it."

The court in the Northern Shanxi Province found that Sun, formerly vice chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, had accepted bribes worth a total of over 129 million yuan between 2001 and 2023, according to Xinhua.

The trailer also featured other corrupt officials who confessed on camera, including Wang Yilin, the former chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation, against whom public prosecution has been initiated on suspicion of bribery in November 2024.

The documentary premiered just a day before China's top disciplinary agency convenes a pivotal plenary session from Monday to Wednesday, where it will outline key priorities in the fight against corruption for the year ahead.

China's anti-corruption battle continues to roar. In 2024, it made waves in sectors such as finance, energy, healthcare and sports, while dismantling sophisticated forms of graft that sought to conceal themselves as legitimate market practices.

According to the country's top anti-corruption watchdog, 58 high-ranking officials under the supervision of the Communist Party of China Central Committee were probed last year, according to Xinhua. 

The crackdown on corruption has also intensified in areas impacting the daily lives of ordinary people. A campaign launched in April 2024 saw 433,000 low-ranking officials disciplined, with 14,000 referred for prosecution, according to the Xinhua report.

New manifestations of corruption today include the emergence of innovative forms within the public finance sector and at the grassroots level. New tactics driven by advancements in digitalization are also emerged, Zhang Xixian, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Understanding today's effort in fighting against corruption is crucial, as people now recognize that the country's commitment to fighting corruption is not mere rhetoric but a steadfast dedication to action, reflecting the new normal in the anti-corruption landscape, Zhang said.

On December 25, Chinese lawmakers voted to adopt a decision to amend the Supervision Law, the country's primary legislation for combating corruption. The decision, made at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will take effect from June 1, 2025.

This amendment aims to improve relevant systems in a targeted manner, provide a legal basis for solving practical problems, refine supervisory procedures and enrich provisions for international anti-corruption cooperation, according to a statement published by CPC CCDI and the National Commission of Supervision.

It transforms the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee on continuously deepening the reform of national supervision system into the will of the country through statutory procedures, further improves the basic legal system for combating corruption, and provides a strong guarantee for resolutely winning the protracted battle against corruption, according to the statement.