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== Overview == | == 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 [[China Association of Performing Arts|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 == | == Rumor Campaign and Subsequent Debunks == | ||