Dabosil

Woah.
Last I heard, there was 'The Remarried Empress' drama adaptation rumor involving her as well. Seems like she'll get her career back on her feet soon, then.

Over completely, at least within China.

I think it's also very related to the pandemic last year-they've already pushed back the schedule. On average, it's 3-4 movies per year-I do think that is already a bit much though.

Not to mention all the new Disney+ shows in the works.

Take a breather, Marvel.

Oh My God, I LOVE Delusion! I wonder who's going to be cast as Madam Song. Hopefully it's a good adaptation.

I think WoH is still on Youtube for international fans if you want to still check it out.

-But do you know the full story behind the current stance on celebrities?

I don't agree with this crackdown in the long run, but I agree with it for the short run. Also, history shows that it will calm down in about half a year after a regulation.

Oh, I see~thanks for the info

The (baseless so far, but there might be some truth to it) rumor going on right now is that Bl Dramas won't be allowed to air for the remainder of the year.

As for other dramas, though, they won't crackdown on them.

Haha, actually some of these dramas have already aired;
The Bond
Candle in the Tomb: The Worm Valley (kind of, it's coming out tomorrow)
One and Only

There are also some more (popular) upcoming dramas that have (recently) released trailers, such as:
Meng Hua Lu with Liu Yifei and Chen Xiao (Historical)
Psychologist with Yang Zi and Jing Boran (Modern)
The Society of Four Leaves with Song Weilong and Jing Boran (Historical)


I also love the layout of this post!

To be honest... ZZH might just be a part of this whole ongoing operation right now (people think it's also linked with Zhao Wei, his boss (who's also an incredibly famous actress and director in China))-you know what I mean if you caught up with the Weibo Hot Search since last night.

Such as that Zhao Wei's discussion area has also been closed off (Including Zheng Shuang, and previously ZZH).
Zheng Shuang has now been punished 300 million in tax evasion.
All of Zhao Wei's and Zheng Shuang's previous participated tv shows and movies are being taken off all platforms (previously ZZH)
Almost all star agencies have released a notice for logically following celebrities and hand-signed by many stars under each company.
Wechat has been asking to remove all celebrity ranking lists off its platform.
Alibaba seems to be related (plus several huge news over the last month).
All top newspapers have come out to reply.

So-
Something is definitely in the works.

Haha, Douban is bashing Tencent (fun) for their promotion of YAMG during the airing.
If you didn't know, it's because Tencent bought a bunch of hot searches on Weibo during its airing, but they were largely ineffective and basically almost completely centered on the CP (which because the age group for this drama is a little more mature than normal fluffy romance dramas, YAMG fans are annoyed at in fears they're going to create an unstoppable CP fanbase).

Many agreed that they should have focused more on aerospace because it's an unseen topic in CDrama land, and is related to Chinese nationalism, etc-which would be a much better hot topic.

There was actually one really effective hot search (not from Tencent), but the Chinese Post System, because they made a little quip at the scene where Yu Tu sends his 9 mails to Jing Jing, but says that knowing the speed of the postal mail, she's not going to get it before New Year's. They updated the postal mail system. and that was a funny response.

Additionally, most hugely popular shows in China have a famous line/quip either from the show or shared among viewers. For YAMG, there was the line (rough translation) 'Life's purpose is to fall in love with Yang Yang repeatedly' (because of his charismatic and hugely successful roles every few years), but Tencent did not promote that.

There's also this quip at Tencent for their promotion for stuff like the Disney shoot, etc (because both are Tencent brand ambassadors) called, 'so how much did Tencent pay them?'

Anyways, just some fun facts if you were interested.

Did hear about this, not sure if its true. Maybe it was planned, maybe not. See, Dilraba's other show with Gong Jun (historical) and another with Ren Jia Lun (historical) all put out Qixi CP promo photos, and they're both iQiyi shows, so of course they don't give a damn for whatever CP tencent is promoting; they need to promote their dramas and remind people of their existence!

Anyways, if Tencent really did, then it would be because of a conflict of interest, because YAMG was still airing last week and ngl, 90% of tencent's promo for YAMG was the CP (which is a shame, btw)-no need to cause a rip. It would make sense that they would not promote a CP soon; that would destroy that part-time fantasy ideal for viewers.

And yeah, they can't do anything about what iQiyi wants to do, so

I disagree. Netizens definitely have not let Kris Wu go yet. I see daily posts asking for updates on his situation, but there hasn't been any yet. He's been criminally detained-he's not going to be left off easy by netizens.

I believe the sponsors did react quicker than I initially expected, but I think this is due to the fact that too many 'corrupt' idol scandals have erupted in the past two months, and even this year, that they've learned to react quickly. In the last scandal, the first company to cut off ties with the star gained a huge boost in their market share and sales that day. Additionally, netizens have reacted negatively to brands that have cut off ties late.

(Also, sponsors reacted relatively quickly previously, but it was not as quick as this time because many brand endorsements were foreign and needed pending approval from the head offices outside of China, which took about a day extra at least for those who cut off ties early. So that may be the case.)

Edit: But as for whether there are forces trying to rub over Kris Wu's news-I don't disagree. But I feel that criminal detention here means that he's not going to have it easy. I'd be more inclined to believe it's for anyone closely related to him to save their skin than to help him. It's blatantly obvious how even hot topic searches are quickly pulled down and replaced on Weibo (with a literal example of this yesterday), but I think Kris Wu would have been given up by now. Bad morals are one thing, but prison-well, no one's going to outright mess with the law, especially with such an incident with so much coverage and attention.

This is in general, depends on what you do

Haha, demand for season 2 from everyone on the internet EXCEPT in China, probably~

I obviously have some negative feelings towards the drama, but regardless, I suppose it's pretty surprising and also a good thing to see it so well-received elsewhere.

Although I do stick with my opinion that it's not a good drama, I can understand if others find it interesting. It's better at least to see that it has some reception than no reception.

First of all, thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely find the time to reply to this later, but thanks regardless for the insight you've brought.

For those who don't understand Cantonese or cannot read Chinese, the guy says (in summary, the important points):

Also, I directly translated some of it because the video is too long.

1. Nogi Shrine
Guy: Speaking of the Nogi Shrine, what was ZZH doing in the Nogi Shrine? He was not there to worship (參拜), he was there to visit (參觀). In Japanese custom it is common to hold weddings in shrines. At the time, the official government (kind of rough translation) did not react angrily-remember that, remember that!


2. Dewi Fujin (Woman ZZH took photo with)
Guy: He took a photo with not the former Indonesian prime minister, but his wife, Dewi Fujin. However, netizens then found that this woman previously rejected the happenings of the Nanking Massacre., and supported Tibet Independence.

Okay, so now we're saying that he has taken a photo with Dewi Fujin. He took a photo with her! Then what? Then you're a bad person (sarcastic), and your acting career is since finished.

3. All Shrines
Now, apart from all that ^, netizens also found out that he went to Yasaka Jinja (shrine). This shrine has no relation to war criminals of any sort, but (rough translation) everyone's now counting along all the different shrines he's been to, saying no matter what, you must be friendly (in a bad way) with the Japanese. If so, if you visit Japan, that's called being friendly with the Japanese, isn't it?

Other points in the middle:
-Back when China wanted to fix its relationship with Japan, they encouraged travelling to Japan, yet no one says this.
-Back then (unspecified time) ZZH was allowed to clarify/prove himself that he was not close to the Japanese without any sort of backlash from the Chinese government, and they did not go after ZZH.
-INTERJECTION: Can someone please find the proof for this since he didn't say what year/time?-
So why the backlash now? It is currently August, and the anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII. At this time, China has to increase pressure against Japan from preventing them from becoming close with the U.S again and going against China. So China's belief is that everything goes along with the political flow.

He then retells the three official faces of the Chinese Government (media) publicized backlash against ZZH:
1. People's Daily
2. CCTV (China's Central Television) Newspaper
3. Xinhua News later through a section of their newspaper (long story short) clarified that no, you can't go visit those (affiliated, as in controversial shrines such as Yasukuni Shrine) shrines.
Guy: So now there are no morals or reason here! Following the news, all of his endorsements immediately terminated their contracts with ZZH.

THIS IS UP TO 10:30.

As for after:
He losts an example of the original author of 'Novoalnd: The Princess and Plateau' (recently adapted into a television series, not aired yet, starring Peng Xiaoran and Feng Shaofeng), who spoke out saying, 'why can't we even visit?'. The team behind the television series immediately drew the line between them and the author (metaphorically means they clarified themselves as not being affiliated with the author). Soon after, the author apologized.

11:00 onwards: (yo, this is a long-ass video, srsly~:I)

-Later on, some netizens dug up news of ZZH's parents, claiming that they were also affiliated with the Japanes, because:
His mother opened a company called '亞太榮‘ (Mandarin: Ya Tai Rong, Cantonese: A Tai Wing). too lazy to translate-
stating that back when the Japanese invaded and violated China, they used the slogan, '東亞共榮圈‘(note the similar characters in the middle)

The guy then says, but this slogan could also be interpreted as 'China being the glory of Asia' (rough translation, again)- because:
亞太- Asia-Pacific
榮-Short form of 榮耀, Glory

But then, they also claimed his father was friendly with the Japanese. Why? Because he lived long-term in shanghai. How can living in Shanghai bring him in as part of the conversation? It's because he lived in the area with the most Japanese people..

14:20 onwards

He says that the China Association of Performing Arts (I assume, the subtitles had a long typo) started to criticize him. Following this, all his communication channels (WeChat, Weibo, etc, which he is referencing) all remove all of his related content.

Following: The Chinese official mouthpieces (the newspapers) have criticized him by saying he instigated national sentiment and is a bad influence on youth because these are the government's current problems as they believe the youth's beliefs can be changed easily.

-As for after 16:00 ish, here's the summary:

-He uses examples to conclude: Basically if your opinion doesn't match 100% of China's interest, they won't align themselves with you, even if it's 99%.

-When people go to travel, how do they know so much about the history of things? If so, then before going travelling, is it true that one must have done all their research for everywhere they're going to be?

-How many stars have taken photos outside the White House, the Buckingham Palace? Can it not be then said that one is worshipping Europe and America? How can you step foot on the land of China's enemies? How about the Imperial Palace of Japan?

- Notes that ZZH was seen to have taken a photo with Kotaro Koizumi, son of the 56th Japanese Prime Minister, but then it was found it was someone who just looked completely alike to him, so now they've criticized him for what?

His conclusion: The backlash mainly has to do with the delicate relationship between China and Japan at the moment, and he says that this will only disturb the people's ideals and be hurtful to their foreign policy. Now they've closed off his social media, even if he wants to try to make the situation lighter by speaking out he can't.

(The last few minutes he's talking about foreign policy so yeah)

Thanks for your comment.
Did I get it right, or do you mean that most people think that because of all the native feedback (including toxic and unwarranted behaviour) he should get a second chance?

I understand that he hasn't done anything criminal, and whether it is something morally wrong really heavily depends on your personal stance as well. However. I feel that the response cannot be accounted for as a reason for the controversy (which is what it's about).

The death threats, negative rumor mill and so forth are obviously wrong and that goes with them in every situation. However, both things are separate and I can't understand why we can't see them separately. China does has a huge problem with fanbases and even anti-fanbases (honestly, it is completely baffling how much time is spent on these celebrities), and such behaviour is horrible no matter towards which individual. I strongly stand against this hateful behaviour. I just can't see how this , as a consequence, is related to the initial starter.

As for him presenting his case, he hasn't said anything after the apology. I understand there's really not much you can say afterwards, but before the scandal completely broke out he did not take this issue seriously. Additionally, his apology was not worded well.

I've seen some comments talk about how no one is perfect and how it would be different if it was not a celebrity, but that is actually part of the case. I would argue that even if not a celebrity, if netizens found out, they would also go against a person, but the response is obviously so much more minor. ZZH's position in the entertainment industry is as an actor and idol, which means he stands to be a role model, which people have to remember is China.

Patriotism is not a sin, and I see that one of the stronger cases here is that people don't know how to grasp with the idea that he can be punished (as in, rid of his career) because of this incident.

If the situation was, let's say, just about his past posts, I would be inclined to agree that the matter should be re-considered more heavily, but this also concerns his own responses, which have been found to be hypocritical or dismissive in lieu of such a sensitive situation.

As for ZZH, I don't believe him to be a horrible person. You're correct in that this is not really a case of traditional ethics, and I can sympathize with the ten years of career, bu this goes with everything. I can see that both in China and outside of China because of this situation, people have put together other things to go against or defend him with, which are all really irrelevant or unrelated, such as ZZH's past posts unrelated to the incident, which to e honest, are not really a problem here and are misinterpreted to a wide extent.

I can see why fans see the cumulative hate and bunch it together, and all of these outside influences are wrong, and yes, perhaps there has been some big company or secret entertainment circle insider who has been after him, and that's all unwarranted too. But this does not take away on the main point, and the only reason, which is of his history with shrines and inacknowledgment/naievity of Chinese history, his characterization, and insincere apology.

I do believe that I tried to look at the situation with as many perspectives as possible, but if I missed something, do tell me.

To my understanding, these are the two sides in general:

Support (ZZH):
Believe that the issue is not big enough to warrantee canceling ZZH.
Either because: (or several, or all)
-It is not a moral fault
-Because he has a long career spanning ten years filled with his effort, and because he has so many dramas and movies etc-
-Because the issue is in the past and it's time to move on
-Because the situation happened a few years ago and he has matured since then

(I'll add here what I missed)

Support Canceling (ZZH):
Believe that the issue is big enough to warrantee canceling ZZH,
Either because: (or several, or all)
-Do not forgive or forget, or forgive but never forget
-He was disrespectful to his country, countrymen, etc
-Because his previous or later actions do not show his remorse
-Because his apology does not show his remorse

Of course, in the mix, you have:
- Avid fans
-Fans
-'Passer-bys' (Non-Fans, Non-Haters)
-Haters
-Avid Haters

Note: If anyone wants an update, his dramas, including some where he has quite a lot of screentime as a supporting character, have been removed from Youku, iQiyi-not sure about Tencent yet.
Including: Word of Honor, The Legend of Yunxi, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion, Everyone Wants to Meet You (for his main roles)
-
This past year there really has been an unproportionate amount of celebrity downfalls in C-Ent, with some more well-known cases including Kris Wu and Zheng Shuang. So to kind of proportionately compare them, I found this comment which I translated: (I'm not talking about the moral issues here)

'-But really, speaking from the basis of the scandal, ZZH's is seemingly more serious (to Chinese netizens) because he instigated national sentiment. About ZS-we can only say she found the found loopholes in the law, (supposedly illegally) goes against the laws, and also goes against morals....but did not instigate national sentiment (in fact most people kind of collectively turned against her). But as for ZS's work being removed in the near future/future, that's a very possible case as well'

Oh sorry, I've never heard people use the term KW lol.
-I can't say that much about the Kris Wu situation, but I think some netizens online don't know everything about the ZZH story.