[3] On 22 April 1989, on the day of reformist leader Hu Yaobang's funeral, 40,000 students and citizens gathered in New City Square of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi.

Hou arrived on the scene in the afternoon trying to control the situation, but a riot broke out in the evening when three or four hundred people burned down several buildings and cars.

During the 14th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 1992, he was elected Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the anti-corruption organ of the CPC.

[1][3] After Hou retired in December 2003, he spent his time practicing Chinese calligraphy, and held several personal exhibitions of his works.

[1] In August 2017, Hou made a public statement in support of Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.