Somewhere in a dank prison cell Wu Yi Fan is breathing a sigh of relief that C-ent and C-netizens attentions just moved on to another star. C-actor Zhang Zhe Han, easily one of the IT stars of this year 2021 after the BL novel adapted wuxia drama Word of Honor aired to great acclaim and reception, just went from countless brand endorsements and acting projects lined up to none within the span of 24 hours. No joke on the speed, it was way faster than brands dropping Wu Yi Fan during his rape and drugging allegations (which took a few days for all brands to drop him), so I guess it means patriotism and national honor remains the hardest line never to cross in things Chinese public won’t accept. I went to sleep and woke up to the shit show that is Zhang Zhe Han’s cancellation, starting from netizens unearthing his SNS pictures posted a few years ago with one set featuring cherry blossoms and the other him attending a wedding. The netizen scanned the backdropped and realized the cherry blossom pictures were taken at Yasukuni Shrine, a hotbed of controversy since the remains of WWII military figures are venerated there and one can argue whether said figures are heroes (to the Japanese) or war criminals (to the Chinese and anyone else those dudes led armies against).
The wedding pictures were at a ceremony held at Nogi Shrine also dedicated to a dead Japanese general. Zhang Zhe Han immediately posted a contrite apology for his lack of knowledge about Chinese history vis-a-vis those shrines and simply visited as a tourist and to attend a friend’s wedding, and will go reflect and repent for his lack of national awareness. That is not enough this time as the government owned newspapers are coming down HARD on him saying his lack of knowledge is not good enough and he has to pay the price for going to those shrines. Within 24-hours, every single brand endorsement he has (over 20) has cut ties with him in official press announcements including but not limited to Wahaha, Pandora, Shanghai Textile, Xu Fu Chi, Anker, Xue Lu Beer, Glico, Nivea, Clinique, and his movie and drama lined up also fired him. I don’t know if his cancellation is temporary or basically permanent in the sense that he can come back a long time from now but will never get back his top actor/leading man/IT boy status he just recently enjoyed after the career making hit that was Word of Honor. Sigh.
It's off with the hair pieces and ancient costumes for Xu Kai and Deng En…
This drama was apparently in talks with C-actor Ding Yu Xi before his just aired…
This year 2024 has been a slow year for K-actress Suzy in terms of her…
There are weird casting choices and this one is weird from both the leads itself…
Well this is an interesting pairing, setting aside the age difference at least I can…
I swear I just wrote about Song Joong Ki having his first baby and then…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
This is the dumbest reason I've heard for a celebrity getting canceled. He probably didn't even know the shrine honored Japanese war criminals. And the fact that he got dumped by his endorsers faster than Kris Wu...SMH.
I have to agree with you. I get it, I do. It's a source of national pride, etc. But I still think it's stupid. The pictures are old and yes, a person might not know the cultural significance especially if he only went there to attend a friend's wedding. It shows he didn't bother to look up the significance of the shrines he visited. It would be like a Chinese tourist going to the Vatican yelling and arguing in a high tones while mass is conducted. (I was offended, okay, but it's not like the tourist was jailed or stoned to death...) she was just ignorant.
Your analogy of a Chinese tourist yelling and arguing at the Vatican shows YOUR lack of understanding at what went on in WWII - about how the Japanese cruelly murdered and raped masses of Chinese in Nanking. And unfortunately, Japan has not shown much remorse over the incident or over any of the atrocities they committed in WWII. It is not about cultural differences. If Zhang Zhe Han was educated in China, it is impossible for him not to know about China's history with the Japanese. Even if he was educated abroad - he is now working in China and is a Chinese citizen, how can he make the lame excuse that he did not know? He should have taken the pains to find out more as he is a public figure. China probably sees Kris Wu's crime was one against a group of people, but ZZH's crime is against an entire nation.
I know about history and I know about the shrine since it has appeared in the news when I was younger. But you know what, I would not be able to describe how it looks like or its location. So this actor goes to a friend wedding, is he expected to be an expert in the local attraction or ask his friend if there is controversial shrine located nearby that will ruin my career years in the future? If he did know, should he tell his friend he won't attend just because of its location? Some people just like to be outraged about the smallest things without understanding the impact it will have
@chiangf
His issue not only because he attended a friend's wedding (where many of right winged people were invited) but he also went to other shrine and took pictures there, posted rising sun flag in 2017 and this is came from a guy who recommended two books that mentioned those said shrines, a persona of someone who loves reading and can speak Japanese (he spoke Japanese in that said wedding and there's clip of that)
Can go to dramapanda to see the rising flag that he posted
Correction. 38jiejie not dramapanda for the rising sun post
That’s just wrong…Sounds like censorship is alive and well. This is not the 13th century. Zhane Zehan is a very talented young actor. Is this based on petty jealousy?
OK, make sure everyone who will have business relation or plan to stay in China will self-censor their photo and travel records on any social median.
1: No flag of Japan or US or any other unfriendly country at the backgrounds.
2: No record of visiting places like Korea War Monument in DC. The Chinese official should provide the list of sensitive locations (that could hurt feeling) worldwide so that other people will not take photos and visit.
3: Make sure that arms should rise above shoulder during any photoshoot. it will also be good to have official to issue the standard position for photo shot.
Sounds like great idea to avoid career and lift destroyed. Welcome to the new rule.
The list for "sensitive places" should cover for next 30 years. Don't want the wrong photos to harm your future.
His original sin is from his photo post at Yasukuni Shrine. However, the government official news outlet encourage every Chinese to visit the Yasukuni Shrine to learn history https://world.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnK4GuU. The article was posted in 2017 and the editor is considered as the official voice. So, ZZH is killed in Chinese society for posting photo at the shrine – it does not make sense. .
No, I am sure he knows but I think he most likely did not think it is a big deal. Maybe he was just careless but definite not ignorant.
He get cancelled faster than Kris Wu....ignorance vs drug and rape (to minor). The priority really messed up in this one. Oh, and this kind of reminded me of that AO3 scandal back then. Is there a mandate to give to most absurd reason to cancel IT star from successful BL drama?
I think those it boys who achieved this status through a BL drama attract a lot of antis who work overtime to find dirt so they can end their career. It's not different from K-pop idols being overly scrutinized and exposed once they hit big (except that they rarely get canceled, they just put out a PR apology and lay low for awhile then everything is forgiven and forgotten).
Exactly bro like they need to get their priorities straight.
It is time fans and actors realise that this manipulation is not a way to live. If all the hard working actors and agents, production team and everyone concerned in the power and influence of Wonderful Chinese drama, then they should support an actor who makes a honest mistake.
Those actors who use their position to subjugate others, rape and deliberately commit a serious crime then obviously there must be repercussions.
But this is a serious attempt to discredit an actor who has suddenly, after years of hard work and generosity (to the less fortunate) has become famous. In doing so he has stirred up some suspect individuals and companies who are trying to smear him.
I understand the horror of cruelty and the horrendous time the innocent people of China suffered and lived through under Japanese occupation. It is credit to the Chinese people’s courage and strong self worth that they survived this destructive time and have achieved greatness.
It is important not to forget, but also to learn from history. Other nations have also exploited and preformed dreadful acts on the people of China.
It is also to recognise and learn that the horror of Japanese occupation was and is a stain in Japanese history as is in other Countries subjugation of a people.
Monuments are a time of reflection and understanding that these crimes should never be repeated. As human beings we always have a choice to be true to ourselves as well as working together to form a compassionate and caring society.
Stuck at home... You know... that was war... Let me put it this way... Spain occupied Mexico and the Philippines for hundreds of years. It became part of the collective history of those places. They killed off half of the people with their disease, slavery, and general arrogance and ignorance. However, if I have a chance to travel to Spain, I will go to all its churches that venerate those conquistadors and Magellan. To me, they're dead. They're dust. China is doing a slow battle. Much more insidious in its conquest of the world. Or have you not noticed? They demand that their culture and their people be respected without them respecting others. Just saying... You should look beyond the propaganda and the "outrage" and look to how China has spread its greedy fingers all over the world. Just look to its neighbors and follow the Chinese yuan to where it has gone. You tell me... If I were you, who know so much about Chinese pride and Japanese obstinancy in war... You ought to start learning how to speak, read, and write Chinese. War makes fools of all its citizens. If reparations and all are to be paid, Europe needs to pay for all its sins from eons ago. But... hey, even Spain can't pay for all the sins history has done to Mexico and all its territories. If such were the case, England, France, the Netherlands, India, Asia, China, all need to pay for the tragedies that befell Native Americans. There is a lot to pay!
Find every chinese who visited or just took photo outside of the shrine. Kick them out of schools and work places. They all committed the crime towards the whole nation. Nobody disputes the history. But the way of treating your own people is not progressive.
@Rh
Guess what? I do know how to speak, read and write in Chinese! Have been doing for years!!!
No, it is definitely not ignorance but carelessness.
I myself didn’t even know that the Yasukuni shrine is the controversial shrine until this news came up. I quickly did the google search and surprisingly it was very famous among the foreigners despite its controversy. I think mostly around these time, the Chinese government always want to educate their younger generation and revisit the history, and lucky for them, ZZH happened to be the famous star to be the scapegoat.
The Yasakuni shrine is INFAMOUS for what it represents, and Japanese officials regularly get shat on for visiting it. This is not some obscure shrine for Chinese people and I'm very surprised ZZH didnt know where he was. The closest equivalent would be an Israeli actor posing for pics at Auswitchz. Given the horrors the Japanese wreaked upon China and other Asian countries, this cancellation is understandable.
You say what??
@Daebak
WW2 atrocities is not limited to Hitler and his Nazis. The Japanese were also extremely cruel not just to the Chinese - please read the Massacre at Nanking - but also to the other nations in South East Asia that conquered. I know, cos my parents and in laws and relatives have first hand experience! I doubt if any family in my country was spared the death of a loved one because of their occupation.
True, they did not kill 6 million people in concentration camps, but they were non the less as cruel. Why the Chinese, Korean and many other people who suffered under them find it hard to forgive is primarily because the Japanese did not ask for forgiveness or show remorse. Their textbooks for years did not mention any of the atrocities they committed and they glorified these war generals and set them up as heroes unlike Germany.
However, while many people have more or less moved on, and even like all things Japanese, it is still insensitive not to be aware, and there are lines not to be crossed.
I am sorry, but you can't compare that shrine with a concreration camp that imprisoned and killed more than a million people.
@Weneedquality - That's why I said closest equivalent. Germany did not construct shrines to its Nazi generals, else that would be the closest equivalent.
Commentators here do not seem to understand how big of a faux pas this is or how bad the memory of Japanese war crimes are to the Chinese. This is not a case of Cnetz being overly sensitive. Knetz would've raised the same stink if a Korean star was discovered to take pics at multiple Japanese war shrines over the years.
Comparing this to WYF's case is also false equivalence.
Weird choice to invoke the holocaust to defend a nation that's putting people in concentration camps and doing ethnic cleansing right now, in the present year, 2021. Not a good look.
@Stuck.at.home
Being an African, I know all about war crimes and atrocities committed by the said 'overlords'.
But let's be reasonable here, what exactly is this guy offense?? Just standing there to take pictures.
What if that's where the lighting looks nice, I mean I take pictures everyday and just pick ones with good angles..
This sh*t should just blow over with an apology, is all I'm saying
ZZH is purely a tourist how would he know where he really is? Tourists normally would take pictures because of the beautiful view. Even if you were educated in a very good school, doesn't mean you'll remember every detail. And school doesn't show the exact map of the place of the war. Do you say you're using google map to exact the location and you'll have to avoid it no matter what? It's not ZZH's fault because as I said, he's purely a tourist who went to his friend's wedding. He simply enjoyed the view and took a picture. He didn't mean to offend anyone. Just like how people would say something unintentional that would offend the other party. ZZH is not Japanese so how would he know the history of the place he went? There are many buildings built at this time ever since the war and all. Not everyone will know what building or shrine or house it is.
Also, if this was really unreasonable, come to think of who ever dug out those pictures and showed it at this time. It's old pictures. Why show it now when he's getting famous? yes, it's sad for Chinese people because of the history. But if they had really knew it was that place that would offend every chinese, they would have told ZZH to put it down right away that time. Why show it now? Isn't it looking for a reason to put ZZH down?
A lot of Jews visit Auschwitz exactly because it is important to remember history for the lessons it teaches about hate and how people in power whip up nationalism and hatred against those unlike yourself for their own purposes and it is innocent people who lose their lives. So yes war should be remembered, but for the consequences of irrational hatred and irrational nationalism it engendered. Getting irrationally angry about an entire group of people for the ethnicity or nation they belong to is exactly what led to all the worst atrocities of WWII. The people in power who made those decisions may be dead, but blaming their descendants for not apologising is less useful than trying to stop yourself from making the same kind of irrational, angry hate-filled mistakes. While getting apologies would be great, teaching ourselves not to make those mistakes again is even better.
Nobody is disputing history. Did he deserve for what he did. No
Following the logic, everyone who visited the shrine should be kicked out of schools and work places. What is next place on the list? Korea war monument in DC?
That’s too bad. The guy worked so hard to get where he is. I feel this cancel culture is getting out of hand. People make mistakes and he has not done anything horrible like Chris Wu.
A: There's NO WAY he didn't know, China remembers that stuff way too well and makes sure its people do.
B: What a ghastly sense of priority when his "crime" is punished more rapidly than Wu's
It's ironic that citizens & the government in China are angry at Japan for not acknowledging their human rights violations during WWII when Urghyrs in China are currently being detained in camps to be "re-educated" by the Chinese government. That's like the kettle calling the pot black...
For better or for worse, it's important to have freedom to individual thought even if those thoughts & sentiments are different than the government and the majority. US celebs like Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds can have their wedding at a slave plantation, apologize and say that they didn't interpret the location to be a painful reminder of slavery like others but just ignorantly thought it was pretty, people accepted hey you're different and then move on. ZZH swift fall from stardom shows just how little room there is to have a different opinion than the masses or the government in China. You didn't interpret it was a horrible place to be, we ghe government do, therefore you're ruined.. This is how authoritative governments stamp out dissent. Show everyone you get ruined if you even slightly fall out of line.
LOL this is so dumb I feel really bad for him.
This is not dumb. This is a very painful part of history for Chinese people. He made a mistake & i hope people will forgive him. I do think that someone is out to get him also. Who would go out of his/her way to dig out these pictures to ruin him?
If he was there to pay his respects for the deceased ... then I could understand the outrage and the cancellation. But he wasn't. Yes, it was ignorant of him to visit even as a tourist but still..his punishment is a bit much, especially in comparison to Kris Wu.
It's now at the point where celebrities in China will be cancelled if they breathe in the wrong direction.
According to this reasoning, there should be no flights to Japan from China, Chinese nationals in Japan are considered traitors, Japan made products banned in China, no sushi or any other types of Japanese food or restaurants in China. Being patriotic is one thing but this is unreasonable.
Also it’s someone else who decided where to have their wedding.
So ironic that Glico canceled his endorsement as they themself is a Japanese company.
No one ever gets to whine about too-harsh Korea netizens canceling their own for cultural offenses ever again.