Updated: July 14, 2014 20:04 IST
Every evening, millions of young Chinese tune in to State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) to watch Rui Chenggang.
The 37-year-old anchor of a nightly business news show – always dressed sharply in distinctive pinstripe suits – had over the past decade become, for many in China, the face of a new, confident and rising nation.
At ease interviewing Henry Kissinger and Tony Blair in fluent English, moderating panels with world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and scolding his foreign guests on live television for not giving due respect to China, Mr. Rui quickly rose to the top of CCTV to become one of its most well recognised and widely popular television personalities.
That was until Friday.
Viewers tuned in on July 11 to find that Mr. Rui was missing. The show was presented by his co-anchor. Mr. Rui’s chair was empty, although his microphone was still in place.
It emerged this weekend that Mr. Rui, barely a few hours before going on air, had been dragged away from the offices of CCTV by police and Communist Party anti-corruption investigators.