Sun Meng (孙萌) is the eldest son of Sun Dawu (孙大午), the Hebei rural entrepreneur whose case became one of the most widely reported prosecutions of an outspoken private businessman in recent years. In the same July 2021 trial, Sun Meng received a twelve-year prison sentence.
On July 28, 2021, the Gaobeidian Municipal People’s Court in Hebei Province delivered verdicts in the case that began with a violent land dispute between the Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group and a state-run farm. Radio Free Asia reported that Sun Dawu was sentenced to eighteen years; Sun Meng received twelve years, as did Sun Dehua (孙德华), one of Sun Dawu’s brothers. NPR reported that nineteen relatives and employees in total received sentences ranging from fifteen months to twelve years.
Authorities detained Sun Dawu along with more than twenty relatives and employees in November 2020. According to accounts from Sun’s defense team reported by NPR, the detainees were held for more than five months in secret house arrest before being formally charged. The trial itself was held behind closed doors over twelve days in July 2021. Claims of torture and forced confessions come from the defense team and are not presented here as independently established findings.
The specific charges on which Sun Meng himself was convicted have not been detailed in publicly available reporting; the eight-charge conviction list reported for his father should not be assumed to apply identically to Sun Meng.
Rights Defense Network’s monthly report of August 31, 2026 lists Sun Meng among current prisoners in its twelve-year sentenced group, indicating that he remained in custody as of that date. His exact prison location, sentence-reduction status, and health are not documented in the sources reviewed.
Media profile & archive: Sun Meng (孙萌) — Media Profile & Archive