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Xiao Zhan incident
2020 online controversy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Xiao Zhan incident, also known as the 227 incident, is a 2020 online controversy that originated between the fans of Chinese actor Xiao Zhan and Archive of Our Own users in mainland China.[1][2] The incident started when the internet censorship system known as the Great Firewall of China blocked the fan fiction publishing platform Archive of Our Own in the country, due to concerns about the actor's fanbase regarding vulgar and explicit content on the website.[3]
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On January 30, 2020, a user named "迪迪出逃记" from the fan fiction site Archive of Our Own began serializing a novel titled Falling (下坠), which focuses on Xiao Zhan and his fellow Chinese actor Wang Yibo.[4] The two idol-actors initially starred as the leads in the popular TV series The Untamed (2019), which is based on the Boys' Love novel Mo Dao Zu Shi.
On February 24, links of the chapters 12 and 13 of the novel Falling (下坠) were posted by the author on the Chinese social networking site Weibo.[5] On February 26, 2020, some of Xiao Zhan's fans claimed that the work contains explicit pornographic content and the feminization of Xiao Zhan, as sketched by users "一只汐哥哥" and "一个执白".[5] Many fans took it as an insult to the actor, denouncing it on Weibo. Author "迪迪出逃记" and the graphic artists were the main targets of criticism. Users "来碗甜粥吗" and "巴南区小兔赞比", the "opinion leaders" among Xiao Zhan's fanbase, are recognized as the leaders of the reporting incident against the author and the graphic artists. In a Weibo post on February 26, user "巴南区小兔赞比" said that "actors and their fans" do not need to "accept vulgar underage prostitution literature based on artists" and "such behavior not only infringes on the artist's reputation, but also pollutes the online environment and brings down a large number of underaged fans who lack judgement".[6] On February 29, 2020, Archive of Our Own was officially blocked in mainland China.[3]
On March 3, Phoenix Television released “Ten Questions for Xiao Zhan,” addressing the actor and his team with ten direct questions regarding their inaction during the six-day-long large-scale conflict between his fans and the fanfiction community.[7]
On March 5, some of Xiao Zhan’s past remarks resurfaced online, including allegedly racist comments about Chinese-Indian mixed-race actress Tan Lina, sparking widespread discussion among netizens.[8]
On April 21, Xiao Zhan Studio issued a statement claiming that "individuals with ulterior motives" had "used despicable means to coerce group admins into handing over control" and had "maliciously altered the titles within Xiao Zhan’s fan groups to reactionary ones."[citation needed] The statement emphasized that "Mr. Xiao Zhan has always loved his country and firmly supports the leadership of the Party." Subsequently, a blogger who was directly mentioned responded with a statement, claiming they had been subjected to ongoing harassment by Xiao Zhan's fans and malicious defamation by his team. The blogger also sent a lawyer’s letter and filed a compensation claim against Xiao Zhan Studio.[9]
On April 23, Xiao Zhan Studio, through a commissioned law firm, issued a legal statement against certain internet users for “spreading malicious intent and defamatory sexual insults” toward Xiao Zhan. The statement noted that “during this critical period of the national fight against the pandemic, the client has deliberately refrained from taking action to avoid occupying public resources,” instead choosing to focus on his professional duties, exercising patience and restraint, and actively fulfilling his responsibilities as a public figure. However, the statement went on to say that the escalating attacks against the client had “crossed legal boundaries.” It also claimed that some individuals were “using the internet to provoke trouble, frame innocent people, deliberately damage the image of the Party and the government, and disrupt social order—constituting serious criminal offenses.” The studio declared that rights-protection actions were now being comprehensively carried out.[10]
On April 25, Xiao Zhan released his single Spotlight. Following the release, fans in fan group chats began encouraging bulk purchases. One fan suggested, “Let’s start with a small goal — everyone buys 105 copies. It’s not too much, just the price of a piece of clothing, okay?” Fans who had only purchased one copy were criticized for buying too little, with comments like “You could buy five copies for the price of a milk tea.” Some even proposed higher targets, saying, “105 copies is too few — that’s just the price of a lipstick. Regular fans should buy at least 300 copies, and working adults should aim for a minimum of 1,005.” These comments sparked widespread discussion and controversy online.[11]
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227 Incident
The banning of Archive of Our Own in mainland China caused controversy among its users. Their criticisms were further amplified by controversial behaviors of some of Xiao Zhan's fans, and claimed that the actor should take responsibility for his fans' actions.[2] A section of the site's users called for a protest on Xiao Zhan's brand deals and endorsed products, flooding the brand's pages with negative comments. They formed a Weibo supertopic group titled "227 (February 27) Memorial Day", referring to the incidents that occurred regarding the reporting of Xiao Zhan's fans in February 27. This led to increasing cyber violence towards Xiao Zhan, his fans, and even bystanders.[12] This includes Chinese variety show host He Jiong, who was attacked by the group following a rumor that Xiao Zhan would be making an appearance on his show. Some accounts that led online attacks and harassment against the actor were labelled as paid, "professional" anti-fans.[13]
Apology from Xiao Zhan Studio
On March 1, 2020, Xiao Zhan's management "Xiao Zhan Studio" issued an apology on Weibo for taking up public resources during the COVID-19 period and for causing troubles to the public.[14]
Boycott against Xiao Zhan-endorsed brands
On March 17, 2020, many Chinese users of Archive of Our Own announced their boycott against the brands that Xiao Zhan endorses. These include international luxury brands Estée Lauder, Piaget, and Cartier.[15]
Xiao Zhan's first interview after the 227 Incident
On May 6, 2020, Xiao Zhan was interviewed by Economic View regarding the 227 Incident.[16] He was, at the time, also faced with harassment from internet users for controversial remarks made on Weibo during his college years. Xiao Zhan apologized for his old posts and expressed his confusion toward the incidents starting from February 27, 2020. He disagreed, however, with the view that idols need to be responsible for fan's behaviors as he noted idols and fans should be equal, and idols are not superiors to fans. He also said he would guide fans "by being a positive role model, and that he hoped they would live their lives well and won't do anything extreme that would hurt others or themselves."[17]
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