A post about how a shit stain waste of space @ajawrites @bookshop slandered and defamed Zhang Zhehan and his fandom in an article she wrote for @vox.
Here's the context: On June 6, 2022, @vox published an article written by @ajawrites @bookshop claiming that fans of Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan are "conspiracy theorists" for @vox on June 6, 2022. In it, she makes all types of claims defaming myself and the entire JunZhe fandom (both here and in China) for being a conspiracy theorist because we do not believe Zhang Zhehan's Instagram account is controlled by him. For those who don't know, Instagram fraud is rampant and there have been several Chinese celebrities who have been the victim of this. Zhang Zhehan's solo fans encouraged the reposting of this article and defended it because they somehow believe that Zhang Zhehan would "comeback" on an international platform before his name is cleared in China (another story for another day).
On June 14, 2022, less than one week after the publication of that article, The China Story published an article about why Zhang Zhehan was cancelled, and specifically that a non-governmental organization called the China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) was behind the cancellation, not the government. It also described the efforts made by Li Xuezheng, a famous government-affiliated director, to clear his name. To my knowledge, this is the only story in the world to shine a light on CAPA's role in Zhang Zhehan's cancellation.
After this article was published, @ajawrites @bookshop wrote a long email to the China Story on June 18, 2022 seeking that the article be retracted. She claimed she had done "research" which showed that the article was part of a conspiracy theory (false), that Zhang Zhehan's family was linked to Japan (false), that Zhang Zhehan was cancelled by the government (false), that CAPA wasn't involved (false), and that all those who believe they are are "conspiracy theorists" (false). She repeats anti talking points to smear Zhang Zhehan in an attempt to obtain a retraction of the article.
Yes, they attempted to get the only article in the world that described CAPA in a negative light retracted.
We have a copy of the email. Here are some excerpts of her own words.
Here's @ajawrites @bookshop insinuating that Zhang Zhehan was banned by the government, when it has been proven on multiple occasions that the government did not ban Zhang Zhehan.
A writer who cannot even get this fact right does not deserve to be called a writer or a thinking human being.
Here's @ajawrites @bookshop claiming that Zhang Zhehan has family ties to Japan, which is FALSE.
Zhang Zhehan himself stated in his interview with Li Xuezheng on January 1, 2022 (seven months before this email) that this was not true. Yet, @ajawrites @bookshop continued to spread this smear to the editors of The China Story.
How does someone who is too lazy to confirm facts become a "culture writer" for @vox?
Here's @ajawrites @bookshop claiming that their "research" shows that the public genuinely hated Zhang Zhehan. They claim that Zhang Zhehan was not cancelled by bad actors, but rather by the "public".
They ignore all the proof and statements that what happened was due to malicious competition and monopoly. All of this was readily available, had @ajawrites @bookshop actually done diligent research. Li Xuezheng had, after all, talked about it for weeks at the end of 2021 and early 2022.
But of course @ajawrites @bookshop knows better! They know better than even Chinese people! They even know that CAPA is a government organization, when CAPA itself said that it is not government and does not represent government.
Pretty rich for white journalist @ajawrites @bookshop to claim that when Li Xuezheng, a renowned government affiliated film director, says that Zhang Zhehan's cancellation was not done by the Chinese government but instead by CAPA, he is spouting a "conspiracy theory".
@vox is this the sinophobic journalism that your publication now publishes?
Here's @ajawrites @bookshop defending CAPA by stating that it is not to blame for Zhang Zhehan's censorship from all media platforms in China.
Except they failed to read the multiple media reports indicating that CAPA had allied itself with multiple media platforms to ban those it deems "immoral". These media resources includes a western outlet, Reuters. Basic due diligence would have unearthed this, but it appears neither @ajawrites @bookshop or @vox care about the facts.
Here's @ajawrites @bookshop suggesting (as a white foreign writer with zero access to his case), that it is "unlikely" that Zhang Zhehan's investigation would go anywhere, that he can't come back, that he is "already back".
These are clear anti talking points easily found on Chinese social media.
Of particular note is that @ajawrites @bookshop claims that these conclusions are a result of their "research". Yes in their own words, in 2020 they were just learning Chinese. With their level of genius, I bet they're far from being a beginner.
Yet, this is the type of "expert" that @vox employs to write about Chinese fan culture.
The article in China Story is one of the only published articles in the world that details how Zhang Zhehan was cancelled by CAPA, not the Chinese government. Yet @ajawrites @bookshop, great friend to Zhang Zhehan solo fans asked for a retraction.
Yes, we have the email. They actually did.
Who has incentive to take down an article that speaks negatively about CAPA? Who has incentive to water down statements negative to CAPA? Who has incentive to perpetuate smears against Zhang Zhehan internationally?
Who better to manipulate than a lazy and dumb writer like @ajawrites @bookshop
I do wonder how @vox and its advertisers feels about @ajawrites @bookshop spreading slander about a Chinese celebrity and his fandom? I wonder if @vox even bothers with basic fact-checking? I wonder if @vox is okay with one of its writers contacting another publication in an attempt to supports their biased views?
To the Zhang Zhehan fans (Zhang Sanjian believers) who have fawned at the feet of @ajawrites @bookshop: good to know that you support those who defend CAPA, the organization that cancelled Zhang Zhehan.
And one last thing to @ajawrites @bookshop: only a shit stain waste of space would write an article about a celebrity to gain a following in his fandom while actually despising him, believing the smears against him, and thinking he's a t******.
Hello all you wonderful figthusiasts! Today is the day that I hit 600 fan figs on my spreadsheet total (not all in hand, the vast majority are in some stage of production or transport), and I wanted to take a minute to stop and celebrate what is, by all accounts, an incredible number.
This is less about me (and my perhaps fiscally-questionable use of disposable cash) and more about the fact that more than 600 individual figures of Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan were produced and made solely by fans. That this many actually exist in the world. What this is about, above all other things, is about love, and resilience, and the awe-inspiring, unstoppable combination of both.
I don't normally talk about the current situation with Zhang Zhehan and Chinese entertainment, because this blog is meant to be a little island of happiness and fun for us that love this show, love these two actors, and love seeing cute renditions of them. But 600...well, 600 feels powerful. It feels like something worth talking about.
This fandom has had half of our vibrant, beautiful soul ripped from us in the nastiest, cruelest, most contemptible way possible. This is greed and evil in the most overt form I've seen in the world, and it was horrifying to watch it unfold that August.
As overseas fans, we at least can still see Zhang Zhehan's past works, post videos and photos of him, and freely say his name as much as we want. The Chinese fandom cannot. Zhang Zhehan has been so comprehensively erased from Chinese media that he cannot even use his own name. The fandom can't even search for his name online, his pictures and videos have been removed, and any of the shows or movies that feature him that remains still available has him (literally) scrubbed from the screen.
This is what I see when I search for Zhang Zhehan on Taobao, Weidian, and Xianyu:
The Chinese fans have taken matters into their own hands, and stood up and fought back and refused to forget him. The fig makers, the doll makers, the merch makers - all of these incredibly brave, loyal, and loving fans have gone out there and dedicated thousands and thousands of hours of their own time and their own money to keeping his memory fresh, his work front and center, and his light constantly burning.
They took him from the fans, but they can't make the fans let him go.
Luckily, the fandom still has the other half of it's soul, and continues to celebrate Gong Jun and his accomplishments, and his own fiercely loyal and great heart, and celebrates the love and affection and care these two souls have for each other. Zhehan promised Junjun forever on May 5th, 2021, and the fandom honors and helps keep his promise.
Think about it. Six-hundred-plus fan-created figurines of the two of them. I don't even own all the fan figs - there's absolutely more than this, I'd estimate closer to 700.
There's Wenzhou figs, of course, but random side character in a long ago TV show? Check. Main characters? Check. Appearance(s) on a variety show? Check. Ad campaigns? (Lots of) magazine shoots? Check check. Casual airport outfit? Workout pose? Douyin moment? any number of Weibo posts? Livestream? not just one, not just two, not just three, renditions of childhood photos? Check check check.
And the figs are still coming. I have a whole list of figs in sketch form sitting in my Weidian cart, waiting to be opened for deposits. One after another, fig makers dipping deep into their precious hoards of recorded shows and magazines and photos and videos of Zhehan, designing one fig after another. Every time Junjun wears some fancy new designer outfit, fans are hard at work pairing that look with a complementary one from Zhehan's archive, determined to keep these two front and center in a country where they can't even type Zhehan's name into a search engine without it being censored.
My respect for the Chinese fandom and the fan creators is immense. They have souls of steel. Every time I hold one of these figs in my hand, and marvel at the cleverness and creativity and all the fine little details, I feel the strength of that connection to them, that iron determination, the fierce will to persevere, that pride and joy, and the love that can't be stopped. 坚强 indeed.
Yeah, 600+ figs is a trauma response, no question. For the fan makers and the fan buyers. But it's a response, all right. Today I have 600 and more tiny (giant) shouts of, you can't stop us, we're going to keep loving and celebrating and remembering him no matter what happens.
It's incredible. I don't know why 600 is the number that really hits me - I had thought it would be 500, but I blew past 500 without blinking in a frenzy of late night and early morning fig drops, and then it was Gong Jun's birthday, and a tidal wave of love and figs, and now here I am. I was at 598 yesterday and already today I'm at 612. I'll be at 700 before I know it, with a lot of remainders starting to be released and the Spring Festival coming up.
I have less than 200 fan figs actually at home, and it's ... a lot. My husband asked me a while back, staring at my display shelves, so, what's the end game here? and I just looked at him, and said, I don't know.
I really don't. I have to believe this is totally unprecedented, but then again, what happened to him is totally unprecedented. The only thing I know that if the fans keep making them, I'm going to keep supporting them.
So here's to resistance, and resilience, and love. Here's to the fans staying strong, and here's to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan. It's going to be a glorious sunrise on the mountaintop when it comes.
Finished!
Hope you enjoyed this short, very rushed comic. It is actually a scene that is very dear to my heart, and I discovered in horror, 5 days ago, that the way it was interpreted by the actors in the audio drama was very different from how I pictured it in my head. Therefore, I couldn't resist, and had to do this before next week (because other incoming events).
It seems like among readers, the interpretation of that scene seems rather unanimous : WKX, for all his ridiculous and over the top fake flirting, does feel a need to express at least some form of honesty; maybe because of the grief, maybe because he knows that his decision to stay with ZZS despite him being condemned will bring suffering. His best friend is going to die, but being with him is still worth it. I think... especially after the open conversation they have before the scene I decided to adapt, that it makes sense for WKX to want to express his deeper feelings -which he may not fully accept yet, given his "It's a good thing I'm not in love with you yet" quote from two chapters before.
Sometimes, some words have to come out, and they're just a bit too much to fully take responsibility of. And thus, he backtracks, because now is not the time, because perhaps when seeing ZZS' expression, he feels like he'd rather not make this an honest statement yet.
In the AD, the whole speech is played as a joke, including the final "confession". I guess it works, but for the emotional flow and rythm of the scene, I am more interested in a visible shift in WKX's delivery. On top of that, I find ZZS being left speechless afterwards to make more sense. He's used to WKX making outrageous declarations, why would this one be different?
It also gives more intensity and contrast to the "Gotcha" moment at the end, which is a bit less convincing when it's already an obvious joke. It makes it a bit sadder, too, in my opinion. Maybe it's a bit tropey, maybe we've seen it before (=the honest confession that is then retracted), but I do think that it works well in this context.
Additionally, I like how it reinforces the "Are you sincere?" scene, at the end, since ZZS would still be marked by how he did buy WKX's confession until WKX himself made fun of him for falling for it.
That's it! Thank you for reading and then reading some more.
Additional thanks to WenBuXing and Xuxunette for their translations, and to the DZZS creative chat for cheering on me.
Big, big shoutout to Bichen, who I hope will like this version of that scene.
So I noticed a lot of people keep commenting that sets and “cities” in C-dramas that had basically no budget as being super pretty and that they can’t believe they managed that with no money. Here’s the thing: Many C-drama are filmed in Hengdian. There are a few other filming studios that are also popular, but I would say Hengdian is in the top 3, or maybe top 1.
Hengdian is one of the largest film studios in the world and is one of the most popular places to film a period drama (area total of 3,3 km2 and building areas of 495,995 m2).
If I remember correctly, there are at least 13 shooting bases. Some buildings, palaces, areas are made in the style of Qin and Han dynasty, others are exact replicas of certain buildings (like Yuanming Yuan, the old summer palace).
It’s FREE to film in Hengdian. How do they stay in business, you ask? They make the money from hotels, restaurants, and renting out equipment & costumes. Some dramas or movies take only 1 month to film, others can take several months. Also Hengdian is huge, if you couldn’t tell, so there can be several film crews working at the same time.
I would also like to point out that you can visit as a tourist.
So far there are over 1200 films and C-dramas that have been filmed in Hengdian! Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, The Forbidden Kingdom, Mulan are some films that were filmed there.
If you watch other Chinese period dramas, you will recognize several buildings. Some C-dramas in recent years you might recognize are Once Upon A Time in Lingjian Mountain, Joy of Life, The Untamed, Word of Honor.
Like this one! Recognize it? It’s where they had that boyband karaoke consert thing in Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain
Religious items and Uyghur language exercises confiscated by police as “illegal” contraband.
Some of you might remember the big discussion that happened around the treatment of Uyghur minorities in China as the Xinjiang cotton controversy broke out last year (when DD was forced to break with Nike and delete all of his Nike-related posts, including the sneakers and ice cream one).
Just a reminder, a year later, that the genocide continues.
And due to recent developments there is now more proof than ever of the atrocities being committed in this region.
CW/TW - discussion of state violence and human rights abuses against a population
Disclaimer: Everything I say about these issues is a reflection of my own personal opinions and understanding based on my own research and exploration. It is no reflection whatsoever on GG or DD’s beliefs, ideas or political positions on these matters.
Hackers who managed to access police computers and databases in Xinjiang were able to obtain a great deal of highly secretive information about the internment camps in the region. The leaked documents and photos have revealed a lot more detail on the mass incarceration, enslavement, abuse, indoctrination and sterilization of religious and ethnic minorities in the region. They also reveal a lot about the mindset and rationale of government officials involved, and show some of the policies, activities and infrastructure that shape this genocide.
Instructions and orders given to police and administrators within the system have been revealed, including a shoot to kill order for anyone trying to escape.
Photographs of inmates show a broad range of people, including elders and some youth. The youngest photographed was a girl only 15 years old.
Documents reveal some of the charges and sentences imposed upon the inmates. One man was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for growing a beard (which was treated as a sign of religious affiliation/defiance). A photo of him from the camp shows that his beard was shaved at some point during his arrest and imprisonment.
Other inmates have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for no declared cause. Many appear to have been swept up in mass-arrests, or arrested because of associations with others who are believed to practice the Muslim faith. Family members of those deemed 'a threat' are arrested and sentenced as though they are equally 'threatening'.
I won't belabor the point, here. I think the evidence speaks for itself. Here are a couple of news reports on the hacked files that do a good job of outlining the significance of the information in terms that are easy to understand.
What can be done?
While there's little that can be done by the average person, it's not 'nothing'. There are actually some things that we mere mortals can do to help the situation. I remain utterly cynical about any change ever actually happening around this, but dismay/despair isn't a good reason not to do the few things we are able to do to try to help.
Contact your political representatives at every level of government and put pressure on them to put pressure on China and on companies supporting this genocide. Push for policies and measures against imports from the region. Demand change.
Take action against companies who do business in Xinjiang, and pressure them to cut ties and divest their business from any connections with forced labor in the region. Companies like Urban Outfitters, Apple and Coca Cola have been implicated in these regions. 20% of the cotton used in garments globally comes from these regions, so even brands that claim to have cut ties shouldn't be let off the hook until they can absolutely prove their supply chains are free from the spoils of forced labor.
Inform yourself and speak up openly about what is happening in the region. Don't let the issue get swept under the carpet. Continue to shine light upon what is happening, and demand action.
If anyone has other suggestions on actions that can be taken, feel free to comment.
I welcome people's thoughts, feelings and perspectives on this topic, but remind everyone to be respectful and thoughtful in their responses. Any hate messages will be deleted and the user blocked.
Don’t have time to post much these days, but just in case anyone is interested. WoH has made me write fanfics again. So here’s a master post of my WoH works.
I’m more active on Twitter these days at @chosekiei.
A Night at the World Armoury - Inspired by Brilcrist's amazing art as I so often am. This is the piece we're talking about: gorgeous art this way.
I’ve also done a few RPS fics about Junzhe because look, they told us to embrace it and they love each other however exactly they choose to do that.💙❤️Also it’s my therapy from all the 🤡 are doing.
It’s a series but each part can be read independently as well. Very smutty.😏
Orange Bitters - Zhehan has apparently broken up with Gong Jun in an instagram post. Now that they've been informed, what else is there for two actors to do but to act it out?
Citrus and Mirrors - The fake IG video is more disturbing than anything Gong Jun could have imagined. And he can't let the man he loves face it alone...
Then one tiny one shot I wrote for Zhang Zhehan’s birthday.
'Zhang Laoshi' or 'The one where we're all Gong Jun.' - Gong Jun has finally met his SHL co-star. He's left quite an impression.
Don’t have time to post much these days, but just in case anyone is interested. WoH has made me write fanfics again. So here’s a master post of my WoH works.
I’m more active on Twitter these days at @chosekiei.
Those mods that replace female characters with male characters in games but keep the female animations really highlight how fucking insane and ridiculous the animations for women in video games usually are
