Boycott against Xiao Zhan Incident


The Boycott against Xiao Zhan Incident, also known as 227 incident, is a conflict that originated between fans of Chinese actor Xiao Zhan and Archive of Our Own fanfiction readers in China. On February 24, 2020, some Xiao Zhan's fans found that a fanfiction novel named "下坠" written by an Archive of Our Own user named "MaiLeDiDiDi" insulted Xiao Zhan, and tip-off the website to the Chinese government. On February 29, the Great Firewall of China blocked Archive of Our Own and drew the ire of many of the site's users, Xiao Zhan was deeply involved in the boycott storm.

Background

On February 24, 2020, an erotica fanfiction featuring Xiao Zhan and his The Untamed co-star Wang Yibo was uploaded to Weibo, the most popular news platform of China. After some of Xiao Zhan's fans noticed the spread of this inappropriate fan fiction and some drawings, they notified the writer about their concerns and suggested taking it down. However, no actions were taken, so the fans were displeased. On February 26, 2020, some fans reported the controversial AO3 fanfiction along with its writer weibo account for obscene content. Shortly after on February 27, 2020, AO3 was blocked in mainland China, possibly due to the some number of reports or the government's scheduled internet cleanse. Access to AO3 in other regions was unaffected.

227 Incident

The censorship of AO3 caused controversy among AO3 users. Their resentment was further amplified by controversial behaviors of some of Xiao Zhan's fans. They claimed Xiao Zhan should take personal responsibility for his fans' actions. A section of AO3 users called for a boycott on Xiao Zhan endorsed products and flooded the brand's pages with negative comments. The people who boycotted Xiao Zhan joined in a Weibo supertopic group called "227 Memorial Day". Later, the boycotters called the "227 group" by Chinese netizens and media, did everything possible to damage Xiao Zhan's career and reputation as revenge against some of his fans. The conflicts between the 227 group and Xiao Zhan's fans caused more controversies and created a social phenomena in China as its' netizens divided into a pro Xiao Zhan or pro 227 group, increasing the cyber violence towards Xiao Zhan, fans, and the opposing group and bystanders. On July 24,2020, 227's supertopic group on Weibo was shut down due to the promotion of hatred, attacking the state media, attacking public offices and causing many public disputes to fulfill their boycotting actions. Some people believe that this incident was developed and manipulated by some parties into the large-scale and longer smear campaign toward the idol, far from the AO3 and 227 group's initial purpose

Apology from Xiao Zhan Studio

On March 1, 2020, Xiao Zhan's studio issued a statement on Weibo apologizing for taking up public resources during the COVID-19 period and for causing troubles to the public.

"Light Spot" Controversy

At midnight on April 25, 2020, Xiao Zhan dropped a new single called "Light Spot" without prior notice. The single cost 3 RMB per download and was sold 30 million times within 94 hours. Fans stated that no one was forced to stream "Light Spot" and said minors would not be eligible to apply for loans in the first place.

Xiao Zhan's Interview with Economic View

On May 6, 2020, Xiao Zhan was interviewed by Economic View for his opinions on the 227 Incident. He was, at the time, also attacked by internet users for controversial remarks made on Weibo during his college years. Xiao Zhan apologized for his old posts and expressed his confusion toward what had happened since 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 equals, 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.

Xiao Zhan's Fan Association Under Re-Organization

On May 15, 2020, Xiao Zhan's Weibo fan association announced they were in the process of being reorganized.

Initiation of Criminal Case by Beijing City Chaoyang District Police Office

On May 20, 2020, Xiao Zhan's attorney released an announcement on Weibo that with the help of Beijing City Chaoyang District Police Offices, they've initiated a criminal case for "The Crime of Illegal Use of Information Network" for the violation of Xiao Zhan's rights. The case is currently ongoing.

Weibo Closed Anti Leader Accounts, Unofficial Toxic Accounts and 227 Supertopic Group

On July 5, 2020, Weibo closed and banned some anti leader accounts of 227 group due to the attacks on state agencies, central media, and interference with the normal operation of enterprises. Weibo stated that they provide interest and social functions for the production and consumption of content for various fields including celebrities and entertainment but the promotion of hatred, especially attacks on state agencies and official media organizations, interfering with the normal operation of enterprises, and acts suspected of breaking the law will be handled in accordance with community rules.
On July 14, 2020, Weibo posted about fan guidance and management. Weibo believed that influential public figures and celebrities have the obligation of guiding and restraining fan behavior mainly through official fan organizations. They contacted Xiao Zhan Studio and suggested that the idol's working team should strengthen the positive guidance and restraint ability of the fan group, unofficial accounts, and organizations whose improper behavior use the banner of the idol and are suspected of breaking the law should not be turned a blind eye to. Xiao Zhan Studio agreed with the suggestions made by Weibo and made it clear that they will actively cooperate and support the management of the platform on the issue of official and unofficial organizations. Weibo closed some unofficial accounts that were using Xiao Zhan's name to promote hatred and conflicts
On July 24, 2020, Weibo closed down 227 group supertopic due to the promotion of hatred, discrediting certain idol, attacking the state media and causing large-scale public disputes.

Xiao Zhan Studio Apology and The Cooperation With Weibo

On July 14, 2020, Following Weibo's announcement, Xiao Zhan Studio posted that they acknowledged their duties and expressed their apologies. Xiao Zhan Studio was initially established in hopes of creating better communication between Xiao Zhan and the public and to share Xiao Zhan's positive values to the society, but within 9 months of their establishment, they still have not reached their goals. They admitted their lack of fan guidance and lack of accurately responding to negative impressions that led to large-scale conflicts between some groups and varying media, disturbing innocent people, and causing trouble for related departments and everyone's work. Xiao Zhan Studio also stated that they reject fights and insults, reject instigating oppositions between groups, reject irrational spending by minors and reject hurting others for any reason. They are also aware of their responsibility and duties and will actively guide fans, calling for a stop to the promotion of hate and will cooperate with the platform to maintain a healthy online environment
On July 17, 2020, Xiao Zhan studio once again called for fans' restraint and to follow their 4 main guidelines : Don't participate in mass voting, mass commenting on social media, or do large fan support activities. Don't fight or insult others or instigate and provoke group oppositions. Buy endorsements and works based on everyone's financial ability Focus on your school and work first, before paying attention to the artist's works in film and music. Xiao Zhan Studio hopes that everyone can live their own lives well and think independently and grow facing the sun to be better people.

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