Police shot and injured a man who kidnapped a female deputy county magistrate for more than nine hours.

Li Yibo was taken hostage at 8 am on May 22 at the county government building in Yunhe county, Lishui city, in East China's Zhejiang province, according to a statement.

The suspect was shot by police after repeated attempts to end the negotiations peacefully failed and he threatened Li with a knife.

Li was rescued successfully. The suspect was sent to hospital for medical treatment. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, the statement said.

The suspect was later named as Zhang, from Hekeng village, Yunhe county, who was sentenced to two years in prison in January 2010 and released on July 17, 2011, the statement said, without disclosing the crime.

The motive of the attack has not been released. The local government said the case was under investigation.