Placeholder: - list of clarifications - timeline - yasukuni - CAPA
Page is still under construction. For now, please consult Zhang Zhehan's Cancellation for links to detailed articles about 813 and Post-813 for infographics.
Overview
Leading up to August 13, 2021, a series of rumors were circulated about Zhang Zhehan, none of which proved true (see chart below). On August 13, the most damaging rumor, that he worshipped at Yasukuni Shrine, went viral along with a photoshopped picture sensationalizing the event and making it appear he posed in front of the shrine itself, though he did not (a subsequent Weibo comment from the creator of the photoshopped picture confirmed this). Water armies and bad actors flooded Weibo with false information, causing nationalistic sentiment to turn against Zhang Zhehan. During that time, Zhang issued an apology, but it is unclear if it was for the Yasukuni photo itself or for one of the other items referenced in the chart below. It was not well received, due in part to the aforementioned water army's continued onslaught and the fact that voices in defense of or in support of Zhang were immediately scrubbed from social media by Weibo and others. Individuals from CAPA met over the weekend and the following Monday issued a release calling for the boycott of Zhang and his removal from all media platforms. His social media accounts were all suspended or deleted, his films and dramas were taken down, and searches for his name online in China were rendered impossible. It should be noted that, in addition to other failures, CAPA's actions were in violation of its own rules, issued in March of that year, which stated that its rules for banning/boycotting artists would not be retroactive, would be time limited, and allow for an appeal period. None of that occurred. Furthermore, CAPA is not a governmental agency and legal scholars later argued its action was in violation of anti-trust statutes. The appropriate state agencies, MCT and NRTA, confirmed that they did not call for any of the actions CAPA undertook. Some time later, Zhang attempted to file a lawsuit but was turned away by the police. After the intervention of LXY, a renowned producer of patriotic films, and his support of Zhang, the Beijing police accepted Zhang's request for investigation. That current status of that investigation is unknown.
Rumor Campaign and Subsequent Debunks
2018 trip to Japan and Yasukuni Shrine
In March 2018, Zhang Zhehan visited Japan. While there, he walked the Sakura Trail, a well-known tourist attraction, and took several pictures that he posted to his social media. The administrative office of Yasukuni Shrine appeared in the background of one of the photos. It went unremarked upon by the general public. In 2021, as part of a larger smear campaign, bad actors leveraged those photos to push a narrative that Zhang Zhehan visited Yasukuni Shrine itself (which venerated war criminals) and worshipped there. This claim was false. Zhang Zhehan did not at any time enter the Yasukuni Shrine and did not worship there.
| Rumor | Truth |
|---|---|
| Yasukuni Shrine is far away from metro Tokyo. Zhang Zhehan must have gone there on purpose. | Yasukuni Shrine is inside metro Tokyo. It is very close to many popular cherry blossom parks. It is a very popular cherry blossom viewing spot itself. |
| The only reason to go to Yasukuni Shrine is to worship war criminals. | Before 2018, multiple state media agencies recommended Yasukuni Shrine as part of the cherry blossom viewing route. Several Chinese news outlets broadcast stories from spots within mere steps of where Zhang Zhehan was photographed. |
| The sign in front of the Shrine states ‘Entering means Worshipping’. | The sign states ‘if you are not coming to worship, please refrain from the following actions…’ |
| Zhang Zhehan entered Yasukuni Shrine from the front entrance and passed multiple signs so he must know where he was and did that on purpose. | He entered the grounds of the Yasukuni Shrine from south entrance where there was no sign and the place appeared to be a Cherry Blossom Park. |
| Zhang Zhehan posed in front of the sanctuary that people actually worship. | Zhang Zhehan posed in front of the Saikan, which serves as a management building for the Shrine. |
| Zhang Zhehan visited Yasukuni Shrine 3 times over 3 years. | He only went to the grounds surrounding Yasukuni Shrine once, and that was to visit Sakura (cherry blossom viewing) in March 2018. |
| Rumor | Truth |
|---|---|
| Zhang Zhehan visited Nogi Shrine because he is pro-Japan. | Nogi Shrine is a popular wedding venue in Tokyo. A lot of Japanese don't even know the historical significance of the Shrine. Zhang Zhehan did not enter the shrine and the reception at which he was photographed was held elsewhere. |
| Dewi Sukarno is a great friend of Zhang Zhehan and her husband is involved in Indonesian Mass Killing 1965-66. | Dewi Sukarno’s only connection with Zhang Zhehan was attending that same wedding. Her late husband President Sukarno was not involved in Indonesian Mass Killing of 1965-66 or May 1998 Riots of Indonesia. Sukarno was pro-China. |
| Zhang Zhehan did a Nazi hand gesture in front of Nanjing War Memorial. | The picture was posted as a 9 picture assemble on December 15th, 2019, during the time with Variety Show Actors Please Take Your Place was in the Final Sessions. The hand gesture is a classic hand gesture from the short film "Brother," in which he acted as co-lead. The hand gesture was from the film and was the way he and his brother would find each other - raising their hand. His co-lead posted a similar photo in response.
The place of the picture was not a war memorial, it was Zhejiang Global Center. |
| Zhang Zhehan posted ‘Happy Birthday Mother Nation’ while on Chinese National Day on October 1st , 2018 while he was in Japan. Therefore, he must be saying happy birthday to Japan. | He landed in Shanghai right after that very post despite the horrible storms that day. He wanted to be in China on the National Day, and he was. |
| Zhang Zhehan is fluent in Japanese. | Zhang Zhehan does not speak Japanese. Japanese people can barely understand the Japanese speech he gave on the wedding to congratulate the couple in 2018. |
| Zhang Zhehan purposefully decided to hold concerts on August 15th and September 18th . Those 2 days are the dates which mark the end and start of the Sino-Japan War during World War II, respectively. | He was never able to get concert dates approved due to COVID 19. Concert dates were not announced as of Aug 12th, 2021. There is no evidence he planned concerts on those dates. |
| Zhang Zhehan refuses to hold up a red flag during the music video Sing a Song for Chinese Communist Party. | None of the main singers held a flag, only the extras on the set held red flags. It was not part of the production plan. |
| Kafka on the Shore and Killing Commandatore, 2 books recommended by Zhang Zhehan to his fans, talked about Yasukuni Shrine. | Neither book talked about Yasukuni Shrine even once. |
| Zhang Zhehan owns a car painted with Rising Sun flag and he posted that picture on purpose. | It was part of the 9 pictures assemble which he posted by mistake. He took down that picture as soon as someone reminded him the Rising Sun Flag picture was not appropriate. |
| Zhang Zhehan supports dumping of nuclear waste water by Japan when he posted ‘the sea is forgiving” on Instagram. | The post was to comment a community service event he participated in 2020 where he was diving to help clean out the sea water along Chinese Shorelines. |
| Zhang Zhehan's friend is Koizumi's son. | His friend looks nothing like Koizumi’s son. |
| Zhang Zhehan’s mother’s company name is Yatarou, meaning East Asian Prosperity. | Yatarou actually means Asian Pacific Prosperity, which was a term coined by Chinese Prime Minister in 2017 during his speech: “Asian Pacific stability represents world peace, Asian Pacific Prosperity represents world glory.” |
| The groom from 2018 wedding wore a costume with hawk feather, which shows he is from a politically right winged Japanese company. | The costume with the hawk feather symbol is a common traditional male wedding costume in Japan. It can be easily bought and rented online. |
| Zhang Zhehan has tagged #Chaina, which is China in Japanese, on Instagram. | That Instagram post was not by him. The post and his Instagram avatar was photoshopped together. |
| Zhang Zhehan sat on Su Xiaoxiao’s tomb stone so he showed disrespect to ancestors. | Su Xiaoxiao tomb in an empty tomb of a fictional character. It is a famous tourist spot and it’s tradition for the tourists to touch the tomb for wealth and luck. Many tourists play touch it, play on it, and sit on it, which does not mean that they are showing disrespect. |
| Zhang Zhehan was doing indecent gestures to a mermaid statue in Yin Chuan, China. | The picture is photoshopped. The statue is 20 meters tall and there is no way someone with normal height can reach its chest. |
Timeline
What happened when, general summary
Lead up
Events leading up to 813
813
Beat by beat timeline
August 12th
August 13th
August 14th
August 15th
China Association of Performing Arts issues blacklist of Zhang Zhehan.
Post-813
For infographics summarizing the events following the 813 cancellation of Zhang Zhehan, visit the entry Post 813 Infographics. See also the entry for 1123.