missclementine

I think you've misunderstood me, as I agreed that there are many areas for improvement. I grew up with C-dramas and I understand their shortcomings as well as everyone else. I was mainly expressing dissatisfaction over the statement that Chinese film-making would never be able to compare to that of other countries. Melly has since clarified that, so there's nothing left to disagree on.

Oh yes, thank you for adding this!

Please feel free to correct any misinformation I might have provided! I will try to summarize the events as objectively as possible.

As you know, XK was a model for three years prior to becoming an actor under Huanyu Entertainment in 2016. During this time, he had a girlfriend whom netizens referred to as "Da Jin" (direct translation: Big Gold). She was a relatively popular Weibo influencer with her own clothing shop/brand, and XK allegedly modeled for her for free. However they separated before XK was signed into Huanyu and they did not make any reconciliation attempts or publicly mention each other until 2018.

In 2018, XK shot to fame after "Story of Yanxi Palace" was broadcast as his portrayal of Fucha Fuheng won the hearts of many netizens. Shortly after it became clear that he was now a fast-rising actor, DJ began accusing him of a myriad of things that would have likely destroyed his career had they been proved to be true. I'll first explain what DJ's accusations were, how XK responded, how netizens reacted, and then the reason why XK is now in the clear.

Sometime in the early fall of 2018 (the last episode of "Story of Yanxi Palace" was aired in late August that same year), DJ began posting pictures and explanations to Weibo accusing XK of domestic abuse. These pictures were of her face, noticeably bruised and swollen on both sides. In the caption she said that back when they were dating, XK striked her face over an argument about video games and these pictures were proof of that incident as well as XK's generally violent/abusive temperament. She also made allegations against XK for cheating on her with the actress Bai Lu, with whom he collaborated to film "The Legends" and "Arsenal Military Academy" that year (2018).

XK then released a letter addressing both the public and DJ. Within the letter he admitted that there indeed was mutual shoving and hands-on arguments, but he emphasized that there was no one-sided domestic abuse as DJ so claimed. At the end he apologized for his behaviour, vowed to become a better man, and wished DJ the best in the future.

Netizens' reaction to this news was very severe (as expected) and controversial. I won't go into detail about the very, very negative responses because I'm sure you can imagine how horrifying some people can become on the Internet, so I'll mainly focus on how XK's own fans handled this situation. Many of them came together to spread this line: "You can call Xu Kai trash, but you can't call Xu Kai ugly." Essentially, they admitted to their superficiality and only "stanned" him for his attractive appearance. Some, of course, stayed loyal and admonished XK for his mistakes but were also more than willing to give him a second chance. The vast majority of these fans agreed to stay out of the controversy and allow other netizens to teach XK a lesson; for reference, die-hard fans of celebrities in similar situations would typically fight back and silence any naysayers, but there was hardly any opposition this time around (which is of course devastating for the artist, but his fans were nearly unanimous in staying on the sidelines).

This continued for around a month, with XK frequently trending (for above reasons) on Weibo and just... not living the best life. But the tides finally turned when a number of videos and images were leaked/dug up. First came two short clips of when XK and DJ were still a couple prior to 2016. One showed XK, presumably intoxicated, kneeling in the middle of a street at night while being held down by some male acquaintances. DJ is seen profanely taunting XK, which earns her shouts of approval and laughter from the other men. In the second clip, XK is sober and DJ is drunk, and XK exclaims that she has bitten him on the arm. She denies this and eventually gets him into a headlock and drags him around before he is able to (without violence) free himself. DJ then walks up to the camera and calls XK stupid with an uncouth choice of words. Throughout both videos XK does not retaliate physically or verbally in any way.

Although these two videos placated the fury against XK to some degree, what really turned public opinion in his favour was a post proving that the pictures in DJ's initial accusation were in fact not because of domestic violence but instead a past workplace accident that DJ posted about years ago. Other videos also resurfaced, one depicting XK patiently applying makeup for DJ and another showing how XK was once forced to apologize on camera for not picking DJ up from the airport on time. His nonvocal fans began actively suppressing netizens who still accused him of domestic abuse and some of his past critics stepped forward to apologize for believing DJ. None of his other ex-girlfriends made similar claims of domestic violence against him and one has even collaborated with him in "Court Lady" without any problems. Soon after, DJ deleted all her Weibo accusations against XK, which at last marked the end of his 2018 nightmare.

I hope that answers your question! Although I said I'd be impartial, I think I've included some of my own sentiments in my explanation. I can't help but stress that I strongly disapprove of any form of violence, including whatever arguments XK and DJ got themselves into. But from my personal understanding and judgment of XK's character, he is incredibly endearing, funny, hardworking, and down-to-earth (to the point where his fans publicly tease him and sometimes even ridicule him without consequence). He refuses to accept gifts from fans and insists that they should spend the time and money on themselves instead of him, reminding them at every chance he gets to stay safe and healthy, to go to bed early, to spend time with their families, to study hard but not be overly stressed, etc. He downplays injuries, rarely uses body doubles while filming, and openly apologizes for poorly-acted scenes. There is just too much unadulterated good in this man for me to hold onto what happened when he was not even twenty years old (at the time of his and DJ's relationship). Way too much good.

Whoa, that escalated quickly... Well, I think if you're saying things just to satisfy me, then there indeed is no point in continuing this conversation. Thanks for your time!

Let's try to remain civil, alright? No need to take it out on me with all the question + exclamation marks, especially since you have expressed your distaste for arguing online. You have heatedly commented your opinion, just as Chinese netizens have commented theirs. What is the difference but for your opinions? What permits you to be "so upset", but not them?

Your point has gotten through to me from the very beginning, and I have been trying to explain why this matter is severe enough to somewhat justify their rage. In fact, I have been agreeing with you about the reaction being overkill. But I would like to clarify why people have not taken notice of his behaviour before—actually, they have. His actions did not gain much attention in the past because a) he was not extremely well-known unlike now and b) his fans were able to silence Weibo users who posted content disadvantageous for him. I won't go into length about how Weibo works, but in essence no one but people who specifically searched for Zhang Zhehan would know of his misconduct. Now that this news has reached the eyes and ears of passersby through several trending Weibo hashtags, it has finally blown up.

With great power comes great responsibility... This line is not famous without reason. But yes, let's agree to disagree on what celebrities are and are not required to do/be judged on. I will emphasize however that it is indeed not your place to dictate how Chinese citizens respond to this matter. He did not commit a crime, so he will not be arrested. Then who else but the public will serve him his comeuppance? This is not some sort of person vs. person scandal that the public has no say in; this is person vs. nation, which the public has every right to partake in. And as I have explained, even if he were not a celebrity, his livelihood would be severely threatened.

With all due respect, you yourself have admitted your ignorance on this matter, both history- and Zhehan-wise, so why have *you* taken it upon yourself to "rant"? Truly curious about where the logic lies in your argument.

I'm assuming you do not have/use Weibo, as otherwise you would know it was not a one-time thing and he has exhibited such behaviour across a number of consecutive years. You would also know that he is not merely an actor but a celebrity who frequently attends variety shows and represents numerous brands. Celebrities are expected to be role models because they stand at the pinnacle of society and receive priceless benefits that many others deserve but don't receive. There are plenty of actors who commit themselves to nothing but acting, earning less than half of what Zhang Zhehan does despite boasting a more impressive filmography. He is very aware of the influence he has, and became a role model the moment he acquired power/influence. The celebrity "culture" in China is quite different from that of America.

I'll also assume that the last bit wasn't directed at me, since I previously acknowledged that some netizens' reactions to this event were unnecessary. But please also understand that while what he did seems trivial and "irrelevant" to you and perhaps many people who do not have close ties with China, it is in fact not trivial at all to those living in said country. In their eyes, and reasonably so, he has "bluntly disrespected the victims" by paying respects to their murderers. I wouldn't put it past any employer in China to boot an employee who did the same thing as Zhehan. Like you, I don't wish to write about history in length, but I invite you to search up what the Yasukuni Shrine is and determine for yourself whether or not the anger of Chinese netizens is justified. Heck, even Japanese emperors avoid that place!

But think what you will. I've said my piece. It's obvious our understanding of Chinese history and culture is very different, so I'll leave it at that. Have a good day. :D

Forgive me for my brevity, but it's not your place to tell people to "let it go". History is not so simple and insignificant as you make it seem, especially when it concerns the deaths and torture of hundreds of thousands of people less than a century ago. As not only an actor but a public figure who has gained a substantial audience, he has the onus of maintaining a decent role model image. Besides this recent ordeal, some of his past behaviour has also been disappointing (I won't explain in detail here or people might come for me lol).

Is it enough for him to deserve the amount of backlash he's currently receiving? No. But the average Chinese person should not have to be an expert on Chinese history to know information that is more important to them than the Holocaust. I sincerely hope he can scavenge his career after this storm blows over, as I agree that his primary job is that of an actor. Nonetheless I think we can all benefit from respecting history and its victims a little more.

Fun fact for anyone wondering why he calls himself "Soso":

He dabbles in many different activities (basketball, badminton, table tennis, archery, fishing, skateboarding, billiards, etc.) but he doesn't think he's particularly skilled at any of them. Hence he's just "so so". Back when he needed a Weibo username, his name and several variations of it were all taken by other netizens already, so he randomly typed in "许凯soso" and he's been stuck with it ever since. XD

You emphasize the importance of sharing different opinions, but then you go and say something like "I say these as facts". How could you expect others to readily accept your opinions when you so forcefully and condescendingly push them onto us? The original comment targeted no one in particular, yet you're the one who's found the need to refute their words with belligerence.

Putting aside the argument about Yang Mi, I'd like to defend the Chinese film-making industry for a moment. Although there is much to improve upon, there is also a great number of recent films and dramas that have won over the hearts of many foreign audience members. I really don't care how long you have watched Chinese dramas or how well you think you understand the Chinese entertainment industry. You speak as though Korean and US actors don't have their own share of scandals and lacklustre big-screen performances, which forces me to rethink exactly how much of your comment is founded on impartiality and how much is founded on pretense. To my knowledge, the quality of Chinese films and dramas have constantly been on the rise: compare the visual effects of 2017's "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" to this year's "Ancient Love Poetry", or the costume and cinematography between 2014's "The Empress of China" and 2018's "Story of Yanxi Palace". What used to be a "靠脸吃饭" industry where cold, stoic male leads were in high demand is now increasing its standards for actors, where they must both be visually attractive and have an excellent acting prowess, and also a good presence on variety shows (综艺感). If you're a devout fan of Xu Kai, I'm sure you know how brutally "Falling into Your Smile" was/is being criticized in China because of the leads' acting. Sure, the plagiarism and general disrespect/unfaithfulness to the actual gaming industry also played a role, but it just goes to show that Chinese audiences are expecting a great deal more from producers now. "Falling into Your Smile" is appealing to the western audience a lot more than it is to the Chinese audience, which begs the question: Exactly whose film-making industry is going—or will go—downhill?

I won't comment on your opinion of Yang Mi because I agree that that opinion is yours to have (in fact, I find her acting to be quite wanting at times), but to say something so extreme as "C-dramas will never compare with K-dramas or American films" and then try to factualize it is quite demeaning. The cinematography in "The Longest Day in Chang'an", the animation in "Ne Zha 2019", the storytelling in "Nirvana in Fire", the scenery in "Three Miles of Peach Blossoms", the sheer number of historical shows that pay respects to the country's fascinating past... None are inferior to that of western productions. You can't possibly tell me with a straight face that America's live adaptation of Mulan can hold even a quarter of a candle to Zhao Wei's 2009 version despite the obvious difference in budget and technology. At the very least, you must concede that your statement is but another opinion, and nothing more.

Good day.