Whether one thinks what is happening to C-actor Zhang Zhe Han is the degree of consequences for his past actions or wildly overblown and overwrought, it’s still worth noting exactly what is happening still. This weekend, the Chinese Association of Performing Arts issued an official statement telling all its members (concerts, variety, shows, programs) to boycott and ban his involvement. The largest social media site Weibo has disabled all comments on his accounts for violation of platform policy. Youku which owns the rights to hit wuxia drama Word of Honor has deleted Zhang Zhe Han, who is the male lead, from the cast list. NetEase and QQ, the music platforms, have deleted all of Zhang Zhe Han’s songs as had video sharing site Douyin taken down all his videos. Lastly, Zheng He Han’s SNS account has reportedly self-deleted all posts with his popular costar Gong Jun from WoH, likely to keep the fallout from hitting another currently popular actor.
I think the CAPA ban is the nail in the coffin and the best Zhang Zhe Han can do is one day, years from now, return as a character actor or supporting role. He will be losing the prime of his acting life which was set to hit the stratosphere in the coming two years thanks to his WoH breakout, and it’s hard to re-climb the ladder when there are countless young actors waiting in the wings for their own breakout. There is no shortage of male leads in C-ent. And for those wondering if Zhang Zhe Han is punished for a myriad of his past actions which have come to light – it’s only for his visit to Yasukuni Shrine, the other stuff is ancillary. The Chinese government is setting an example about forgetting or making light of Japanese military atrocities during the war against China so anything related to military era Japan (Yasukuni Shrine, the rising sun flag) has and will always be completely unacceptable.
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Yikes! The speed with which he has been cancelled is insane. I hope for his stake he was prudent with this money these last few years because he is unemployable now. I think there MUST be something more behind this for these pics to just become an issue now. Clearly these pics were not just discovered so why did they only blow up now when he has been a reasonably successful actor for years prior to this? is it just because his career reached another level this year that he is under more scrutiny?
He has been warned by his own fans about those pictures before it's blew up to this scale but apparently he didn't care. That is why many of his fans left him now.
@LadyBird: Thanks for explaining. So do you think if he had admitted to and apologised for these before he wouldn't be cancelled now? Or has he just got so arrogant that his fans got fed up and that's why they have exposed him?
It was him upload his pic when viditing yasukuni temple?? Is he not aware for his own country history n how sensitive that temple in china? I dont understand with his action
EGO ??.
@Sunny
His arrogance causes his fans to left him en masse. Few hours before he got canceled he even posted a now deleted status implying people should mind their own business. These pictures were posted few years ago, he got more than enough time to deleted it and apologized before he got canceled. So even though there’s people who were preying on him, he handed them the ammunition/bombs to destroy him on silver platter.
Yes. He had all the time in the world to delete it almost 4 years. Mind your own business is not the way to say to people who love and protect him so much. Government has a right of action it differs from country to country .
Thanks @ladybird!
Ego kills. As your brain tells you, you are the King... There are No Right or Right in Culture. We respect what was past. YOU WILL BE THE "EXAMPLE " TO ALL ARTISTS.
Wow, he really did that? If so, then he truly dug his own grave. I feel bad for him but at the same time, he truly should have let that ego go and be more humble. He is now paying the price for it now. I feel bad for him but what can any of us do? What’s done is done and there is no turning back. He is blacklisted which means he is banned for life. I wonder if he can even find a regular job now. The only way is if he immigrated to another country and starts over and starts a new career. Otherwise, I wonder how can he survive in China as everyone will view him in such a negative light. Sigh… life is so hard.
i think so like the pic was taken in 2018 and no one cared about that pic and now when he is on the rising top actors they started hating him and brought out that pic from 3 years which was literally nothing in those time but now became a pic that is against whole china ... crazy news
No one is perfect,people makes mistakes sometimes.Even his an actor his a human to so he make mistake and beside why now?The picture was took 3 years ago and no one care about now his in the top,the anti's brought it up.Like someone is really planning this ha?!And we all have dark history,yes i know he made mistake and kinda disrespect the history of china but isn't it to much?like his punishment is like he killed so many people and rape someone to get so much punishment.Like litterly this is to much,why don't they just give him charity work and just ban him for actinf for just a while to self reflect his mistake and beside he already apologize on his past action,i know i know its not right to forgot your country history but we all make mistake right?we should learn from our own mistake amd not do it again,but look how can he do that,if they already dig him beaneth the ground with no way out.I knkw i should't say to much because im not a chinese nor know so much about their history,so my apologize.
We all have our own sad history,but we don't act like clowns about it. "Removing his name from the Word of Honor cast? Disabling comments? Official ban?" How is that going to change the fact that he is an incredible actor? This is a ridiculous thing to be doing.
That's what I'm thinking! plus for me this is too much for him, I know he should be a role model but doesn't mean he shouldn't make mistakes...
Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up undergoing some sort of 're-education' like the Uyghurs.
What happened to Uyghurs? Dilraba is from Uyghur, right?
This is too much. It is likely a scorned someone that is doing everything they can to bring him down. What is sad, is that everyone else is so easy to jump on the bandwagon to gang destroy a person. This was awhile back, although in poor taste, he is not a traitor to China. When there is no grace, this behavior is a slippery slope and will come back to bite you (the culture of china) in the butt.
yeah so sad…
The higher you go (fly),the harder will be the fall. So don't ever try to be arrogant when your star is shinning brightly. Because you will never know when & what will hit you when you least expected it.
still your my favorite idol…keep it up Zhang this is only the trials of your life. there are still many people who love and support you..
Agree ?
I agree. I will still support him as a great actor. I have grandparents who were killed by the Japanese during the occupation of Malaya but that doesn't make me hate them. It is in the past. Let it go.
I dunno if the govt just thinks they're on a roll with the Kris Wu takedown but this just boggles my mind with its intensity and fervor. I get it - his actions have reactions, you shouldn't be posing in front of any memorial, let alone a war memorial, and have incriminating photos like that one of him pinching the n*pples of a statue, BUT. This absolute decimation of his career is extreme no matter how you look at it. I wholeheartedly support stuff like this happening to actual criminals that deserve it but an ignorant young man who was too stupid to know any better? It's brow raising for sure. I know every celebrity in China right now is on high alert watching this go down so its clear the point goes to the govt here - I sure as hell wouldn't want to be seen as a fan of anyone susceptible to this type of crackdown.
Problem here is, most people there don't think he is innocent with all his posts and friend/ramily's connections to the Japanese right wingers and that's why it became this extreme.
P.S don't come at me. I'm just explaining what I have seen on weibo
May I know about his family connection? I don't have weibo so perhaps I couldn't get the bigger picture
@n
They dug a lot of stuff that somehow connected to Japan right wingers. Like his mom's company and so on. Anyways, they dug a lot of stuff. Not saying they are all 100% true but just say it got complex and messy issue
thank you for answering
At the moment he's not in any position to say anything and has no platform left to refute any of those claims so people on weibo can make up whatever they want.
Because it's communist country and government so they can do this. It's not like Chinese government are innocent. I read Arther Chen relinquished his US citizenship so he can be an actor in China. I hope he doesn't regret it in the future if he ever went through something like this.
This is insane. Everyone should take responsibility for own action. But we should also give chance for people if they admit their mistakes. The purpose of forgiveness and punishment guide
human being in doing the right thing.
If God treated us the way human beings do each other, like in this case and others, we would all be doomed to an eternal punishment of hell's fire. Whilst I agree there should be some level of discipline, this here is a total destruction of a person's career and livelihood. I believe some measure of mercy should apply if he is truly repentent for his actions. This culture of canceling/banning people to the point of taking away one's livelihood is dangerous and soon we will see the repercussions of this, unless the rest of us become like God, infallible, and that is impossible, therefore live room for error and learning.
His livelihood would be fine if he has saving and can find other career, just he won't be able to come back to acting.
I agree. It seems because a person is loved, they have no room for mistakes or trial and error. No second chance to prove themselves. Has anyone ever did something wrong and wish they could be forgiven? It appears being an actor or singer that works hard to get where they are is never their own doing and the public and government can take it all back if any or all have been offended. I would not want to share my gifts and talents with these people. If they do something the people dont like, you ostracize and or exile your own. WOW!
What career? Most certainly not in entertainment, neither as a director, producer, or toilet cleaner for that matter. I feel sorry for him, but he had it coming. He should have treated film directors, photographers and other crew members of staff with due respect, but instead he acted like an Hollywood Diva and a complete jerk
What repercussion are you talking about? For banning him from being a public figure? He still has supporters, and can still make livelihood doing something else. He can still learn and reflect.
How about being labelled as a traitor for the whole of his life? He may not be able to find any job in China given how heavy this label is. His whole families may even lost all of their livelihood. Going out may even be dangerous for him and his families. So yes, we're talking not only about a destruction of his whole career but even whether it is still safe for him and his families to exist in their own country.
The irony of all of this, his last drama is basically a story of redemption after making horrible choices in the past. And people lapping up this message and loving it. There is no redemption worth to be given apparently in real world. At least Kris Wu will have his day being defended by his expensive lawyer in a court of law, but none of this will be available for him. Because apparently he has been "sentenced" to be guilty without any rights to defend himself and his actions by the court of internet. Even nazi war criminals got their day in the courts of Nuremberg trial. Apparently what he did is worse than these mass murderers for he does not deserve even this.
He may be a jerk and some people may say that he deserved this. But the destruction of someone's life without any chance of even defending himself is giving me chills to the bone. The lack of empathy in the comment sections by chalking this up as another "case of a pretty boy being cancelled" is making my jaw drop. This is beyond just a cancellation of another pretty boy, this is about a person getting stripped of all of his basic rights for due process. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Today it may be him that you probably dont like, next time who knows who. So think twice before celebrating or flippantly commenting about this.
@riesha: It is so frightening :(
I am a patriot, however, I find this punishment towards ZZH is harshed. We're human and we erred but the main and most important factor here is that he has reflected upon his error of judgement and begged for forgiveness. He didn't kill anyone and in his bad judgement of errors he went to this Temple without any recognizant and did what all mass or visitors do as tourists. I know I have and it was embarrassing when I found what was the Freedom Path in Boston was dedicated to. I nonchalantly walked the path and thought what brilliant did the designer whom created the steam chambers for people to warm themselves when they walked the path in the cold Winter. But when I found out that the steam chambers was to emulated the gas chambers which killed millions of Jews. I was so ashamed of myself for not knowing the history of the monuments was for. I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself but to promise to learn and understand of historical sites prior to visiting instead of being ignorant.
THERE WILL BE NO MORE HUMAN BEINGS. WE ARE SINNERS.
He is reaping the consequences of his ignoranct and insensitive actions now. But I still didn't expect the cancellation would be to this extend. I think it's a little overblown.
Initially I thought he would be heavily criticized and that's it. I thought he could make a comeback to cdramaland in a year's time if he act smart and keep his head down. But now it looks like his career is done for good.
Not just his career, his life is done. His and his whole family are being treated like traitors to the nation and thry might even be executed. He does not deserve that just coz he was ignorant. Thus is extreme and inhumane.
That's to extreme and it'll never happen
Its such a shame. I mean, he didn't choose the venue of the wedding and the pictures I've seen, there's nothing obvious to show which shrine it is. It jist looks like a historical building in one pic and a cherry blossom tree in another. So it's a little suspect that it's only blown up now when he went to this wedding in 2018. Why didn't this all happen years ago? Why only now when he's so popular? Is it jealousy that has him being targeted? It's a shame because I enjoy his work and from a western perspective taking a picture at a wedding (regardless of the historical context of the venue which I have looked up) is really not a big thing. Sure a slap on the wrist, but this? The extent at which they're taking it has me actually worried about the guys safety! Whether that be from others or even himself.
I think it's one thing on top of another. If it was just the wedding, then there was some room for ignorance since that particular shrine for the wedding wasn't that well-known. Then there was the cozy pic with the infamous Nanjing-Massacre denier (just the 2 of them; not a group pic) and the pictures from the infamous Yasukuni shrine, which was just too much.
He was definitely targeted. The scandal timed perfectly with the anniversary date of a major battle between China and Japan. but as a celebrity, he should always expect to be targeted and do things to avoid it. But from what someone else said above, it looks like he handed people the bow and arrow and painted a target on his back. The Yasukuni shrine pics were his own uploads. And whoever was involved in managing his career did a poor job.
I wouldn't have expected him to get endorsements or lead roles ever again after this slap in the face to the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents of all the people in China, but it's sad that his name is getting deleted from past works and his past works will likely be removed from streaming platforms. It's like erasing his existence.
And his 2017 post of Japanese rising sun flag (that they used during ww2) was not helping at all.