Xiao Zhan incident
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]
Background
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]
History
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]
See also
References
- ^ 丹, 高 (2020-03-07). 观察｜肖战事件及二次元的"升维打击"_文化课_澎湃新闻 [Observation｜Xiao Zhan Incident and the “Dimension Upgrade Strike” of the Second Dimension]. The Paper (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ a b Jiang, Sunny (2020-03-10). "Xiao Zhan and AO3 Fans Clash, Sparking Social Media Firestorm". Pandaily. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ a b Romano, Aja (2020-03-01). "China has censored the Archive of Our Own, one of the internet's largest fanfiction websites". Vox. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ 同人小说平台ao3被举报，肖战深陷抵制风波_凤凰网娱乐_凤凰网 [Fan fiction platform ao3 was reported, Xiao Zhan was caught in a boycott storm]. Ifeng (in Chinese). 2020-03-01. Archived from the original on 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ a b 记, 华 (2020-03-02). 以肖战之名：一场事先张扬的举报 [In the name of Xiao Zhan: a publicized report in advance]. Aicaijing (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ "反肖战"背后：变成"上帝"的粉丝，被捆绑的资本游戏_偶像 [Behind the "Anti-Xiao Zhan": Becoming a fan of "God", tied up in the capital game]. Sohu (in Chinese). 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ "十问肖战". 凤凰娱乐. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ "未红倩涉及歧视言论遭扒，肖战人设崩塌挨骂". 中港台. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ "肖战开始反击，黑粉发函索赔50万，工作室晒律师声明获248万点赞". 网易娱乐. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ "肖战方就虚假及侮辱性言论发律师声明:将依法维权". 新浪娱乐. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ 何艳 (2020-04-26). "肖战新歌热卖7500万却惹争议，被爆大粉强销人人最少105张，工作室呼吁理性购买". 上游新闻. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ 战, 肖; 一博, 王 (2020-03-01). 粉丝恶意举报致平台被禁 肖战代言遭大批网友抵制 [Fans maliciously reported that Xiao Zhan was banned from the platform and his endorsement was boycotted by a large number of netizens]. 163.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ 法平, 翦 (July 8, 2020). 营造良好网络生态，平台亟须强化自净 [To create a good network ecology, the platform urgently needs to strengthen self-purification]. JCRB (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ 理智追星！肖战工作室就粉丝举报致平台被禁道歉 [Chasing stars rationally! Xiao Zhan Studio apologizes for being banned from the platform due to fan reports]. 163.com (in Chinese). 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ "Why many Chinese shoppers boycotted Piaget over homoerotic fan fiction". South China Morning Post. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ [ENG SUB] Xiaozhan Interview with Economic View, First Appearance After Spring Festival Gala (Video) (in Chinese). May 6, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-21 – via YouTube.
- ^ 专访肖战 | 谈过往，谈成长，谈公益-中新经纬 [Exclusive interview with Xiao Zhan | Talking about the past, growth and charity]. Economic View (in Chinese). 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-12-21.