When a long-distance bus collided with a tanker on a Chinese highway in Shaanxi province in August last year, the resulting inferno claimed 36 lives. Outpourings of grief swamped Weibo and other Web forums, but then attention turned to a grinning figure pictured during the cleanup operation. Netizens soon identified the official as Yang Dacai, chief of the Shaanxi provincial work-safety administration, and then images of him wearing an assortment of luxury watches — including a $63,000 Vacheron Constantin and a $10,000 Rolex — quickly went viral. How could a public servant earning an annual salary no greater than $15,000 afford these luxuries? “Watch brother,” as he was dubbed, explained that the timepieces were the culmination of a decade’s savings and that his winsome expression at the crash scene “was just to make my colleagues feel more comfortable.” However, the powers that be were not convinced, and one month later Yang was relieved of his position amid allegation of impropriety.
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