Disappearing Acts: Whitney Duan

Whitney Duan, or Duan Weihong, (1966-unknown) is a Chinese real estate billionaire who made her fortune by mixing business with politics. In 2017, she suddenly went missing and has only resurfaced a handful of times since.  

For Further Reading:

• Why the Ex-Husband of a Missing Chinese Billionaire Is Risking All to Tell Their Story
• Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China
• The list of high-profile executives in China that have been investigated, face exit bans, or have just gone missing, keeps growing

Historically, women have been told to make themselves smaller, to diminish themselves. Some have used that idea to their advantage, disappearing into new identities. For others, a disappearance was the end to their stories, but the beginning of a new chapter in their legacies. This month we’re telling the stories of these women: we’re talking about disappearing acts.

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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. Historically, women have been told to make themselves smaller,
to diminish themselves. Some have used that idea to their advantage,
disappearing into new identities. For others, a disappearance was the
end to their stories, but the beginning of a new
chapter of their legacy. This month, we're telling the stories

(00:24):
of these women. We're talking about disappearing acts. At September fourth,
twenty seventeen, and a woman sits in her office at
Genesis Beijing, a twenty two story building made of metal
and glass. It overlooks a river and the rest of
the Chinese capital. On that September day, she might negotiate

(00:48):
billion dollar deals, have lunches with influential politicians, or think
about what to do with her son that weekend. Little
does she know that after she leaves her office, she
won't be seen in public again for years. Let's talk
about Deuan Weihong, also known as Whitney Dewan. Whitney's life

(01:10):
started with much humbler means. She was born the same
year that Now launched the Cultural Revolution, an attempt to
purify China from capitalist pursuits and as a child. In
the late nineteen sixties, Whitney and her family lived in
a tiny town in Shandong Province. When she was a teenager,
Whitney took the entrance exam so she could pursue a
higher education, but she failed the test. This failure shut

(01:35):
the door to better career opportunities. That said, she worked
hard to pry the door back open. Whitney's mother then
signed her up for automobile trade school. Instead of getting
under cars, Whitney hunched over her books and dedicated nights
and weekends studying to retake the exam. Twelve months flipped
by on the calendar, and this time Whitney passed the exam.

(01:59):
She attended an Jing Polytechnic Institute and graduated at the
top of her class. She became the executive assistant to
the university president and watched him network, balance relationships, and
negotiate with influential officers and politicians. She learned how to
become a chameleon, how to charm political influencers and foster
strategic relationships. In nineteen ninety six, Whitney began building her

(02:23):
own real estate development company called Great Ocean. By this point,
the Communist Party had loosened its grip on capitalism. The
country was in an economic boom and looked like the
next great superpower, but doing business in Communist China was
still difficult. The Chinese Communist Party owns most of the
land in China, so in order to build anything, it

(02:44):
helps to find officials who have a stake in the project.
They can help cut the red tape around the tedious
and sometimes crooked bureaucratic process, and Whitney excelled at whining
and dining government officials who offered to cut corners as
long as they got a cut of her profits. Her
business thrived. Whitney's success rose as high and grand as

(03:05):
the building she was funding. In two thousand and two,
she moved to where the big players lived, Beijing. She
quickly started making friends with city officials and soon married
her husband, Desmond Schum, who was a savvy businessman. Together
they got involved in a number of ambitious and lucrative projects,
like an airport, cargo terminal and a luxury hotel. Whitney

(03:26):
became a billionaire after the couple had a son. It
seemed like she had everything she could have ever dreamed of.
And more. As Whitney amassed wealth, so too did her
political connections. The family of the Premiere of China at
the time was said to have made two point seven
billion dollars during his time in office, and when The
New York Times investigated his finances, Whitney was named as

(03:48):
a central figure. Whitney also got involved in politics more directly,
funding and managing campaigns for government officials. But Whitney's success
wouldn't last for long. The political tide was turning and
a new leader stepped in. In twenty twelve, Shi Jinping
became the party leader and immediately began an anti corruption campaign.

(04:11):
He removed many long standing government officials and replaced them
with people who were loyal to him. Somehow, Whitney got
through this period mostly unscathed, but she now had a
target on her. Desmond eventually suggested they leave the country
and moved their business abroad, but Whitney didn't want to
lose all the years of growth and relationships she'd built.

(04:34):
She pushed back, and the couple divorced. After one term
of Shijinping's presidency, the Communist Party proposed a bill to
remove the two term limit. This made it easy for
him to stay in power until he decided to step down.
It was terrible news for Whitney. She'd been managing a
political campaign for an official who was vying for the
top seat in the next election. Whitney had met with

(04:57):
him in tea houses and strategized how he could win.
But with a party leader who had no interest in leaving,
anyone who had political aspirations against him were marked this time,
she couldn't get away scott free. In twenty seventeen, Whitney
and her housekeeper suddenly disappeared. Whitney wasn't seen again for years.

(05:23):
Her ex husband and son had previously moved to the UK.
There was no sign of Whitney for four years until
her ex husband decided to publish a tell all memoir
about doing business in communist China called Red Roulette. It
was only when news of the book reached China that
Whitney resurfaced. According to Desmond, Whitney said she was now

(05:44):
on temporary release and could be detained at any time.
In two phone calls, she urged him to not go
through with the publication. Desmond told NPR she used the
Chinese warning the ones who opposed the state will see
no good ending. Desmond Shum published the book Anyway. Whitney

(06:05):
was reportedly seen twice in twenty twenty three, once visiting
a nursing home and once attending a seminar about rural regeneration.
Her current status and whereabouts are unknown. Whitney is one
of a number of Chinese billionaires who've recently disappeared. All month,
We're talking about disappearing acts. For more information, find us

(06:30):
on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast Special thanks to
Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator. We'll be
back tomorrow with a brand new theme. Talk to you then,