The recent capture of Zhang Zhidong, a Chinese fentanyl kingpin, by Mexican authorities has triggered a wave of conflicted reactions across Chinese social media.
He quickly earned the nickname “the Chinese Walter White,” a reference to the anti-hero of the popular TV show Breaking Bad. But what has fueled the hottest discussion is his reportedly elite background as a former student of Peking University’s Spanish department. The fact that American investigators had struggled for years to track him down also led to a complicated mix of irony and backhanded pride among some netizens.
Self-identified classmates and acquaintances have shared detailed recollections of Zhang’s early life. Born in Beijing in 1988 to laid-off state-enterprise workers, he is widely described as exceptionally gifted. In 2006, he scored over 700 on the national college entrance exam, including a perfect math score despite being a liberal-arts student. Although he initially planned to study finance at Renmin University, social-media posts claim he was “point-admitted” by Peking University and ultimately chose Spanish as his major.
According to viral narratives, Zhang first went to Mexico to run a mining tools business, then gradually built ties with local criminal networks. He reportedly later married a local woman, obtained Mexican citizenship, and became deeply embedded in cartel operations. Some posts even allege he donated 10 million yuan to Peking University’s Spanish department in 2014, earning him a “distinguished alumnus” title at the time.
Reactions to his downfall are deeply split. Many netizens feel a strange mix of awe and regret: admiration for his formidable intelligence and global cunning, paired with disappointment that such talent was spent in the underworld. A recurring sentiment online is that the U.S. authorities were powerless against his high-IQ crimes, reflecting not approval of his crimes, but a conflicted recognition of the sheer capability he displayed. Others push back against any romanticization, emphasizing the lethal impact of fentanyl and urging a clearer moral line.
Why Is This Important? For now, Zhang’s story sits at the intersection of fascination, unease, and national ambivalence, illustrating the tension Chinese netizens feel: pride in China’s strict drug control, moral condemnation of those who
