#NOGI SHRINE

[drawingwithlight]

EIJI ARISAKA AT NOGI SHRINE, TOKYO

BY TAMOTSU YATO

[zhongwans]

Since QV is talking about the groom from the Nogi shrine wedding again, here's a summary of relevant info:

Aside from the Yasukuni shrine related smears, ZZH was also accused of attending a wedding held in a "politically sensitive" shrine with "far right-wing Japanese nationalists" in attendance as wedding guests.

Is the Nogi shrine really politically-sensitive?

Not nearly as much as the slimeballs behind 813 want people to think. The shrine was dedicated to a Japanese commander called Nogi Maresuke who was involved in the Battle of Lushunkou in the First Sino-Japanese war. According to his Baidu page, he was the head commander of the battle and was the mastermind behind the Lushunkou massacre which took place right after. But all of that is actually incorrect. The real head commander was an entirely different person, a man called Oyama Iwao. Nogi was only the leader of the 1st Infantry Brigade and was under the command of Lieutenant General Yamaji Motogaru, who was in turn under the command of Oyama Iwao. And furthermore, before the battle of Lushunkou ended, Nogi was commanded to head up north to reinforce Jinzhou, so he wasn't even present when the the massacre happened.

So what happened here was that all that false information was edited into Nogi Maresuke's Baidu page on the evening of August 12. And the Nogi shrine's Baidu page did not exist at all before all of this and was only created at the same time Nogi Maresuke's page was edited. So when all the smears dropped and people went to Baidu to do some research, this is what they all saw. Before this, the Nogi shrine was only really known in China for one thing: it was a popular wedding venue.

Were there really far right-wing nationalists in the wedding?

One of these so-called right wing nationalists was an older male wedding guest who people claimed was Motoya Toshio, the president of APA group. APA group ('Always Pleasant Amenities') operates in the Hospitality industry and runs Japan's APA hotels. Now this Motoya Toshio dude actually is a piece of shit. Aside from being the president of APA group, he's also an essayist who writes and distributes political propaganda touting Imperial Japan's WW2 atrocities as "fabricated stories made to dishonor Japan". He distributes his essays and other material containing historical revisionism through his very influential APA group, so you can see why so many people hate this rotten piece of horseshit.

But that old man in the wedding was not him. As far as we know, the only thing they have in common is that they're both old asian men and that's apparently enough for people to claim they're the same person.

The other supposed "right-wing nationalist" was Madame Dewi, the wife of former Indonesian president Sukarno. According to the smears, her husband was anti-China and perpetuated the genocide against Indonesian-Chinese people, so she in turn must be guilty as well. But the reality is that the one responsible for the genocide was a man named Suharto. Their names may sound similar but these two men were very different. Sukarno, Madame Dewi's husband, was a friend to China and the founder of the Bandung Conference. In fact, a major reason why he was overturned was because of his pro-Communist position. And the very man responsible for it (and eventually replaced him as president) was Suharto, who then launched a bloody genocide targetting Indonesian-Chinese people and anyone he deemed "communist friendly". Suharto's rule was considered to be one of the most violent and corrupt dictatorships of the 20th century.

So what happened here was that Madame Dewi's Baidu page was edited, and her husband's name was changed from Sukarno to Suharto. And this falsified information was what people saw when they went to Baidu to research the validity of the smears. Plus, people were claiming that Madam Dewi was a high-ranking right-wing politician in Japan, when she's actually a celebrity and socialite who is largely uninvolved in politics.

People were also pushing the story that ZZH and Madame Dewi were close because they took a photo together, but it seems they did not know each other at all and she only took a photo with him for her blog (where she then criticized his oufit as being unsuitable for a wedding).

Back to the groom:

So at the height of the controversy, the groom posted an apology letter on his instagram account:

I grabbed this from a reddit post because the groom's IG account is now private and I can't be bothered to install the app again to verify. I don't even remember his username or even the password to my own account, so uh...

Also note that the post contains the misinformation on Nogi Maresuke and the Nogi shrine from the maliciously edited Baidu pages.

This seemingly well-meaning apology ended up indirectly "confirming" the false information surrounding the Nogi shrine and Madame Dewi. "Sorry I didn't research the history of the shrine, sorry I did not know Madame Dewi's political background,"

Apologizing like this seemed to suggest that the falsified info was legitimate. It essentially had the same problem as ZZH's apology letter, which frustrated the fandom at the time as it was such a dumb move and only ended up making it look like he was admitting that the smears were correct. There's speculation that the apology letter was not actually from ZZH (or if it was, he was deliberately counseled in bad faith). The statement he gave months later in the presence of other government officials and Li Xuezheng, where he asserted his innocence, was a much better one.

At the time, it was believed by the fandom that the groom had panicked, and in his haste to defend ZZH, did not have time to fact-check the claims or reach out to a lawyer or PR firm. So while his apology only added to the flames, nobody really held it against him. But recently QV pointed out that the groom is friends with an influencer who had a hand in spreading the smears. The groom follows the influencer on social media and QV says (I have no idea how she knows of this, just keep that in mind) that they are also friends in real life. If true, then it's something to consider. Because the groom's "apology" absolutely did add fuel to the flames, and if he had only clarified—truly clarified—instead of apologizing for things that weren't true and making them look true, it really would have helped ZZH in that moment. And if there is a chance his terrible apology was made terrible on purpose....well.

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

Maresuke Nogi was always his own toughest critic. Emperor Meiji trusted him and appointed him to high military posts in Japan: general in the imperial army, governor-general of Taiwan. But we all make mistakes, and Nogi’s lapses gnawed at him. Twice he requested the emperor’s leave to commit ritual suicide. Each time, the emperor refused. In Nogi’s home, now a quiet shrine in a Tokyo meadow, you can see pictures of Nogi reading the newspaper on September 13, 1912, the morning of his boss’s funeral. No one was left to stop him. Near the photo you can see the sword he used later that day to disembowel himself.

I raise the example of General Nogi to encourage present-day leaders (military, political, educational) to take a much more modest step. They should offer to resign—often, and both in times of trouble and in times of calm. This weekend, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, did the honorable thing, and the chair of Penn’s board, Scott Bok, followed his kōhai’s example shortly after. Magill resigned because she, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth, performed abysmally under questioning in Congress. Their inquisitor, upstate New York’s Elise Stefanik, a Republican, asked them whether chanting genocidal slogans violated their universities’ policies. It depends on the context, they all said, on the advice of counsel and the worst PR teams money can buy. Within days, Magill and Gay conceded that their answers had not been ideal. Gay is facing calls for her resignation, too.

Resign. Resign. Everyone: resign. Resignation has come to mean failure, something one does when cornered, caught dead to rights, incapable of continuing for even another day. It should be an act of honor—a high point in a career of service. It isn’t shameful. It is noble. It is the first and sometimes only step in the expiation of shame, and (ironically) the ultimate sign of one’s fitness for office.

No one demonstrates the value of these traits better than those who lack them entirely. I thought of Nogi’s katana, flashing from its scabbard, last week when the House voted to expel George Santos, Stefanik’s colleague in New York’s Republican delegation. The House almost never kicks anyone out, mainly because those facing expulsion have in the past tended to resign rather than weather the indignity of an expulsion vote. Santos is taking his ouster well and posting prolifically on TikTok. A psychologically normal person would have resigned the instant his tower of lies showed signs of wobbling. To let it crash down, then dance around the rubble of that tower until the orderlies arrive and pull you away, is truly mad behavior, and a demonstration of unfitness for the job, or indeed any job other than TikTok star.

I cannot prove this, but I believe the tendency to stick it out rather than resign started roughly when Representative Anthony Weiner (New York again, this time a Democrat) called a press conference to discuss whether he had, in fact, tweeted a picture of his penis, tumescent in his underwear. He could have just quit, and eventually he did (but lived to humiliate himself another day). But that pause to hold a press conference broke the seal on something dangerous, the idea that one can talk one’s way through a mortification. To take the podium and subject oneself to hostile questioning under those circumstances bespoke a delusionary chutzpah.

It soon became clear that anyone socially defective enough to persist through a scandal has a good chance of surviving it. By the time then-candidate Donald Trump (Republican, guess where) appeared on the Access Hollywood tape, describing his hobby of sexually assaulting women, it ceased to be obvious that at some point one should tap out and go home. If you have no shame, and you refuse to go, there might not be anyone out there who can make you. Mechanisms exist, as the Santos case shows. But the mechanisms were devised to govern people from another time, sensitive to ridicule and guffaws.

One should be ready for criticism, both earned and unearned. But resignation—more precisely, the offer of resignation—is an expression of confidence, both in oneself and in one’s employers or constituents. A board can reject a resignation. Voters can turn out in the streets to beg you to reconsider, or can turn out at the ballot to vote you back in. In fact, the more defensible one’s position, the greater esteem we should show for the one who offers to leave it. Call this the Nogi rule.

Harvard’s Claudine Gay evidently believed that she’d erred, because she reverted immediately to damage-control mode after leaving Washington. The next day, she told the Crimson that her testimony did not represent “my truth”—that is, that she disapproves of genocidal anti-Semitism. (This is an extreme example of the political axiom “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”) Her original answer before Congress lacked any visceral disapproval of anti-Semitism, certainly none to match Harvard’s recent record of condemning speech deemed offensive to historically disadvantaged groups. Her affect was robotic, neutral. She showed no signs of concern at all.

But her neutrality was born of an honorable principle, well worth defending. It reflected the values of free expression in a modern interpretation of the First Amendment, under which anyone can say just about any foolish thing, as long as saying it isn’t about to cause someone else to break the law. If the “context” of a genocidal chant is a nonviolent rally, the university shouldn’t stop anyone from chanting. (It should examine its soul. But that is another matter.) If the context is a crowd of protesters with bricks in hand, running at a group of Jews, the university should expel or fire every demonstrator there, whether armed with a brick or a bullhorn. All three presidents should have said this, then added a note of contrition over their universities’ failure to uphold these principles of free expression in the past.

But I’ll say it again: Gay should resign. To offer her neck to Harvard’s Board of Overseers would show her confidence that its members, like Emperor Meiji, would see past her error and ask her to endure in her position. It would also demonstrate her willingness to own that error, to acknowledge it publicly and unselfishly. Maybe the board would accept her resignation, and maybe it would not. Either of these fates is better than the one she is courting. At the moment she is trying to wriggle out of her error, and clinging to her job as if her dignity depended on keeping it. Better to teach by example that the reverse is often true, that dignity depends on leaving a job—and that staying suggests that one has nothing else, once it is gone.

The greatest legacy a resignation leaves is the creation of a culture of resignation. One institution that, up until now, has had such a culture is the Israeli defense establishment. A few weeks ago, I spoke with a former Mossad official who assured me that the entire leadership of the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces would, as soon as the Gaza war reached a satisfactory pause, resign from their positions. They would do so, he said, because resignation was the only honorable response to their failure to foresee and prevent Hamas’s attack on October 7. Their predecessors did so in 2006, after the very messy war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and after several other episodes of modest failure in Israeli history. That they might stick around, slinking back to their offices as if hoping everyone forgot about their mistakes, would be inconceivable. In this context, one understands better the popular rage against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in whom the spirit of General Nogi is extinct: To this day, he is making the case to the Israeli right for his remaining their leader indefinitely.

One can’t get far in politics without a dogged willingness to destroy one’s critics and step on their corpses to reach the next height. But this is a minimal qualification for success, and everyone who attains high office, having climbed up from decades in the Senate or in departmental meetings, has it to an unusual degree. To persist is just to do what comes naturally for these people. To give up at the right moment—that is a quality against type, and a virtue possessed by the greatest of leaders. It is nevertheless available even to those who have hitherto shown no signs of greatness at all. Let it be said of them what is said in Macbeth of the Thane of Cawdor: that nothing became them in public service like the leaving it.

[ungatonipon]

Walking in Tokyo from Nogi Shrine in Nogizaka to TBS and Sacas Square in Akasaka · Japan in 4K

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — June 11-17

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This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

Late addition to last week: The Singaporean paper Shin Min Daily News (aka Zaobao) published an “email interview” article about “Zhang Zhehan” (ie. taking the Zhang Sanjian scam and concerts as legitimate) with the first line of the article saying that Zhang Zhehan visited Yasukuni Shrine. This article was celebrated by whalers, with some blatantly omitting this first line; when confronted about this, they claimed it was no big deal for the very smears at the centre of 813 to be repeated here. The article also went on to say that Zhang Sanjian was “grateful for the opportunity” that his cancellation gave him.

06-11 → An article about Word of Honor was published by the Collider, an English language film news media company, promoting the drama as “one of the best queer historical dramas”.

06-12 → #Chen Lu's suspected extortion case enters the review and prosecution stage# got on Weibo hotsearch, about a legal case involving Huo Zun (a singer who performed 锦书来 for Word of Honor) and his ex-girlfriend that started in summer 2021.* All the featured posts under the hotsearch were from marketing accounts affiliated with CAPA and presented Huo Zun in a more positive light than his ex, indicating that he likely reached some sort of agreement with CAPA for them to back him. At least one post was written in a way that can also be read to allude to Zhang Zhehan’s case, saying that “there's no benefit to making your enemy go to jail, seek a win-win result and don't insist on them going to jail.” (CAPA seems to be scared as of late, no?) *I have not been following this case and have no opinion on it. 

06-13 → 361° posted nine photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun donated 230,000 RMB to the China Charities Aid Foundation for Children, including the 30,000 RMB he received as compensation in one of his lawsuits against an anti.

06-14 → On Aura Tout Vu (see 06-05 under last week) posted a blog article about Zhang Sanjian, in which they mentioned Yasukuni Shrine and the Nogi Shrine wedding photos without clarifications, and said Zhang Zhehan was banned by “authorities” who “also suspected him of homosexuality[.]” [screenshots] This was edited twenty minutes later to remove the specific mention of the shrine, referring to it as a defamation campaign, then was edited again several hours later to remove the mention of homosexuality. [records showing the editing history]

→ Xie Yihua made claims that she had won a defamation suit against an “anti” account. There is no record of any such suit existing [1] [2], the “apology letter” posted that was supposedly written by the person sued does not include a UID number, and the account mentioned only has five followers. The UID that was later found was discovered to belong to someone who had had a hand in 813. It was subsequently passed around whaler circles that Zhang Zhehan must not be pursuing his case because otherwise Xie Yihua’s wouldn’t have concluded first, as if the two could be compared even if Xie Yihua wasn’t a compulsive liar.

→ ELLE magazine posted a teaser video for their photoshoot with Gong Jun they would release later. Caption: “In the July issue of ELLE, we talked about music, movies, work, study plans, and even childhood memories with the cover character @ Gong Jun Simon. We have seen a Gong Jun who regards sincerity and frankness as the wall of his comfort zone, we have seen Gong Jun who likes strong-paced pop music and brain-burning suspense movies, we have seen Gong Jun an actor who treats each character with heart, and we have seen Gong Jun who is willing to learn more. Gong Jun who takes a little time, and Gong Jun who has too many ideals. Stay tuned!”

→ L’Oreal posted a photo ad of Gong Jun from Cannes.

→ ELLE posted the covers of their issue featuring Gong Jun. Caption:  “For more than a year, @ Gong Jun Simon has been in a crew almost all the time, ‘Legend of AnLe’, ‘Rising with the Wind’, ‘Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red Moon Red Chapter’... Meeting ELLE on the long-lost holiday, it seems that everything can trigger his joy. At the shooting scene, Gong Jun lamented the good weather, beautiful scenery, and enjoying the beauty of nature. What's even more rare is that his happy personality doesn't have much purpose. In his opinion, the foundation of an actor's life is his work. He already has happiness, and now he wants to ‘walk more steadily step by step’.” This was reposted by Gong Jun’s studio with the added caption: “Perched on a canoe, leaning on the prow of a small boat, @ Gong Jun Simon listens to the gurgling water~” Fan Observations: The covers use the famous first line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, one of the poems written about the Fair Youth believed to have been his male lover.

→ ELLE posted eleven photos from their shoot with Gong Jun. Caption: “We are naturally happy to see the person opposite speak crisply; but for public figures who need to be cautious in their daily words and deeds, will this kind of directness cause trouble? @ Gong Jun Simon said that he is very satisfied with his personality and does not need to change: ‘If you want to express it, you can express it directly, and if you have a request, you can express it directly. The friends around me are also the same kind, and they are all straightforward people.’ When we discussed the topic of ‘most recently listened to music’, he directly opened the music app in his mobile phone, showed me the playback history and favorites, and even played the song he listened to the most recently to invite us together listen. Parson James' Sad Song sounded in the dressing room. It didn't sound so sad, but the rhythm made people feel the urge to dance.”

→ Gong Jun posted nine photos from the ELLE photoshoot. Caption: “Fresh summer! Thanks @ ELLE” He also posted nine to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “Vacation  Just a joke 😱” and ten to his Instagram, caption: “Fresh summer😉” Fan Observation: The Weibo post was at 11:06, which wouldn’t really be notable except the post from his studio an hour later was at 12:01. 🤔

→ Tangle Teezer posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ ELLE posted a video of their photoshoot. Caption: “Everyone likes the contagious smile of @ Gong Jun Simon, the kind of smile that stretches the brows and eyes and is full of vitality, as if the surrounding is always sunny and the air is fresh; his personal temperament is also happy and bright, even as long as you mention this the name, the face that comes to mind is the smiling one. In an industry that is often overworked, it is not easy to stay energized and positive. It may take a little bit of luck, but also some determination to be yourself. The warm and loving family endows Gong Jun with a bright and optimistic personality background, while his straightforward social attitude guards a pure heart.” This was reposted by Fresh. Fan Observation: The straw hat looks similar to that of Luffy from One Piece, the character Zhang Zhehan used as his Weibo pfp. 

→ ELLE posted their interview with Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a video of behind the scenes footage from the photoshoot. Caption: “In the lush season of summer, record the cool moment of @ Gong Jun Simon” BGM is White Lies (Instrumental) by ODESZA. 

→ Hogan posted four of the ELLE photos, highlighting their clothes. Caption includes “Go into the mountains and start an adventure.”

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted six behind the scenes photos from the shoot. Caption: “Watching nature quietly, @ Gong Jun Simon is at leisure, enjoying the peaceful world beyond the turmoil.”

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a douyin of behind the scenes footage from the shoot. Caption: “@ Gong Jun Simon takes grass and trees as a seat and lies flat!” BGM is After Hours by The Weeknd.

→ 361° posted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

06-15 → EHz.Z changed recipient companies again, this being the eleventh time since October 2022. (see 06-03)

→ Tangle Teezer posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted six photos of “Zhang Zhehan”.

→ Huang Xiaoming posted a photo to celebrate Go Fighting! season 9 wrapping, with the regular cast members who weren’t present for the photo poorly photoshopped in. Gong Jun commented, “Ge, why do I blend in more naturally than you in this picture?” to which Huang Xiaoming replied, “This is the extent of my photoshopping skills 😂”

06-16 → STELLAR, the production company for Rising with the Wind and Fox Spirit Matchmaker, posted a video celebrating their 5th anniversary with brief messages from various actors. [subbed cut of Gong Jun]

→ Louis Vuitton posted a teaser video of Gong Jun from when he was in Seoul in April.

→ Gong Jun posted the full video for Louis Vuitton, showing him spending a day in Seoul with Jin Chen, who was also there in partnership with LV. [subbed video] Caption: “Set off with a comfortable mood and unlock an unforgettable adventure. Roam Seoul with @ Louis Vuitton and explore the infinite joy of travel.”

→ The 不想匿名 account was deactivated. It’s unknown if this was done by the account itself or the platform.

→ The Instagram posted a video of “Zhang Zhehan” playing a new song.

06-17 → Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ L’Oreal posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted a video of “Zhang Zhehan” having a photoshoot.

Additional Reading: → A Twitter event, #ShineWithTheMoon, is being organized for 08-03 for fans of Zhang Zhehan to share positive messages about the fandom. Update: This event has been postponed due to concern over recent bot activity.

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This post was last updated 2023-06-20.

[cookinguptales]

yamagata (part two)

A continuation of this post.

We left off as we were leaving Hijiori Onsen and were starting our drive to the Dewa Sanzan and our lodging for the night, which was a shukubo, or pilgrim lodging. The weather was pretty miserable, all said, so we ended up not doing all that much on day two.

(I was upset ;; )

But we did stop at a bunch of temples and shrines by the side of the road, because my father is very patient, and saw some other neat stuff, too.

More under the cut.

Because the area we were in was all considered fairly sacred, there were a lot of roadside temples and shrines. We only drove a couple hours, but we must have passed dozens.

Some were very small, like this roadside shrine we passed on the way out of Hijiori Onsen.

Others were fairly big, like the under-construction Hiyaiwa Temple.

There were Jizo everywhere here, dozens of them, but apparently the main temple is actually dedicated to Kannon and Daikokuten, which makes me think it might've originally been a shugendō temple. A lot of the ones we stopped at on the Dewa Sanzan (including our ostensibly Shinto shukubo) were devoted to them.

I couldn't go inside, though, due to the construction, so I couldn't see the Daikokuten statue. Shame, because I hear it's nice.

They also had a small cemetery, which was interesting to walk around in. I tried googling this guy, but he's not the famous Nogi. His uniform looks like it's from the Russo-Japanese era... I guess he was a soldier whose family interred him here.

We also saw a tiny shrine across a river that you can only access by boat when we stopped for lunch. There were no boats in that weather, obviously, but it was neat to look at across the water. It's difficult to see the torii (gate) from the landing where I was taking photos, but you could see it pretty well from the road.

(Togawa Shrine)

We had tempura udon for lunch here (more kokeshi, natch) and it was so nice after being out in such rotten weather.

And there was a mini shrine in the parking lot here, too. Truly, they were everywhere here.

We also encountered a really strange rest stop. It was Korea-themed...? From what I could tell from googling, it was largely a tourist trap. But what a fascinating tourist trap... A lot of people were getting out for lunch there, but it was so miserable out that we just kept moving.

We did eventually make it to Hagurosan, though!

We checked into our shukubo lodging, dropped off our stuff, and drove around the area a bit. I found what was essentially a ranger station over near Gassan. It was already closed for the season, but I was still able to learn a fair amount. And see some cute signs about bears. lmao

We eventually gave up after the freaking hail started and went back to the shukubo.

Here's some photos from the next day, after things cleared up a bit. Interesting, the combination of Buddhist and Shinto imagery...

And here's Kannon and Daikokuten again.

Look at the little frog. ;;

That's all from the next morning, though, after morning prayers.

LET'S GO BACK IN TIME... TO WHEN IT WAS STILL HAILING AND I WAS MISERABLE... lmao

Look at all this hail that was still on the ground at the shrine the next day, I tell ya.

Anyway.

Shukubo stays typically have very specific food. Most shukubo are associated with Buddhist temples, like the famous temple lodgings at Koyasan. So because of that, usually they have vegetarian food.

This one didn't! Shugendō isn't as specific about that, and this was technically a Shinto shrine, not a Buddhist temple. (Which actually caused problems because I think one of the other pilgrims was Buddhist based on the very upset conversation I overheard lmao. She was not happy to see fish in her dinner.)

Still, shugendō does emphasize eating whatever you can find on the mountain. Shugendō, as I mentioned before, is an ascetic mountain religion. In other words yamabushi spent a lot of time in very harsh conditions climbing mountains and communing with nature. They kind of ate whatever they found.

So the food at the shukubo was... I'm not going to say... good... but it was an interesting experience. Most of it was various plants from the mountain and I did not know what most of it was. It was uh. Generally very cold and wet. lmao

(Edamame-like bean cracker, tea, and an assortment of small dishes.)

(The persimmon was nice at breakfast. And they gave us a sort of zenzai (mochi in red bean soup) situation to give us strength for the climb. I think it was special mochi with more nutrients.)

A couple more interior photos of the shukubo's dining area.

We weren't allowed to take photos in some of the more sacred areas, like where we had morning prayers. It was a really interesting experience, though, and they actually had translated prayers for us that a western yamabushi had made. It had a lot in common with Shinto prayers, which I guess makes sense as it was technically a Shinto shrine, but not exactly. So, y'know, you'd have the paper ōnusa wands but also a conch shell that was blown during prayers...? It was so interesting.

(Not the conch shell the priest at the shukubo used; this was one at a Dewa Sanzan museum on Hagurosan.)

I did laugh a little internally, though. He was talking about how all the photos and signatures on the wall were from very devout pilgrims who'd stayed there but sir, I saw that one of them was SMAP.

(And trying to explain to Dad that they basically had a signature by the Japanese equivalent of maybe NSYNC or The Backstreet Boys was A Conversation.)

I'm at 26 photos again... I think I'll just go to yet another post (SORRY...) so I can talk about finally ascending Hagurosan.

I think it'll probably be only one more post for Yamagata because, frankly, I went to a lot of places you're not allowed to photograph after this. lmao. But I guess we'll see.

[aqua-tan]

『HiGH&LOW THE 戦国』

High&Low: The Sengoku (Stage, collab with Takarazuka)

Cast: Katayose Ryota, Minami Maito (Takarazuka), Riku, Seo Yuria (Takarazuka), Fujiwara Itsuki, Urakawa Shohei, Onozuka Hayato, Uekiya Satoshi, Sakurai Yuki, Abe Ryohei, Kubota Sou, Tomita Masanori ＜KADOKAWA DREAMS＞ MINAMI, 颯希(SATSUKI), Ryo, AIRA, RAIZYU, syuichi, MIZUHO ＜RAG POUND＞ SHUN(Baby Twiggz), SHOOT(Soulja Twiggz), KC(General Twiggz)

Plot: In a time of war. Five shrines were once built in that area, and each country prospered around them. The Suwa Province used to be a lush greenery, but due to civil war it turned into a desert. Nogikuni is a city of water that flourished at the mouth of an estuary. The land of fire, Sonmukuni, is a place where warriors born to fire gather together. This was a time when five countries, including the Yuan-Kong Province and the Saga Province, were in power. The leaders of each country continued to fight together with their trusted allies in hopes of achieving prosperity for their country, but a shadow was creeping up on them, trying to take over. The race to release the power sealed in the shrine and rule the world develops into a great battle involving the three kingdom of Suwa, Nogi and Sonmu.

[magicalgirlagency]

Can you please do a WBMR for Koori Chikage and Nogi Wakaba? They are characters from the YuYuYu spin off - Nogi Wakaba is a Hero. I've seen you done the WaSuYu Trio and the main team already, so why not the 1st generation heroines as well.

Both of them are good girls and I love them a lot ( I'm currently writing a fanfic with a happy ending for their Hero team) But since they are yuyuyu characters, they suffered a lots so please save them. They did not deserve the hell they were put through! Like, Chikage was bullied by her entire village because her mom has an affair. Her mom. Not to mention her dad was a manchild who only know drinking and being useless!

Just, please, PLEASE give them a good life in Wondaria. Wakaba and Chikage didn't do anything wrong.

P.s: since you haven't done any WBMR for the Mikos, could you write one for Uesato Hinata too? She has her fair share of pain watching nearly all of her friends died in battle.

It's been a while since I've done a WBMR so I might be a little rusty, and I apologize in advance.

Due to being the very first Heroes, Wakaba, Koori and Hinata are now old women who have retired from fighting long ago. They have been brought up to speed on the Taisha's crimes in the future by the Bureau, and feel guilty for being part of such a sinister project.

Out of all the ladies, the truth has hit Wakaba the hardest, specially when she has learned about her descendant, Sonoko, was confined to a hospital bed for sacrificing herself. As atonement, she and the others have decided to build a shrine temple for the new generation of Heroes that have been previously rescued.

Wakaba is serious, but not like in the way she used to be. Wondaria's atmosphere puts her at ease, helping her to properly concentrate on the search for her descendant; she wants to find Sonoko and her friends, so she can offer safe haven to them within the new temple.

Koori has a soft spot for children, and will do anything to protect them, ensuring that none of them suffers what she has suffered. She's also a very fast learner, quickly adapting to Wondaria and studying its history, so she and her colleagues are able to accomodate themselves with little to no trouble.

Hinata, being a Miko, leads the temple, with Wakaba as her second-in-command. Upon discovering the Taisha's dirty deeds, she has her ideals challenged, and has dismissed her old vindictive gods, now wanting to focus on her own beliefs. She was never able to fight, but through her new haven, she can properly protect the young ones.

[tokyoshrine]

The Japan that no one knows. Nogi Shrine. Dedicated to Lord Kisuke Nogi, with photos of Japanese people from 100 years ago.

This shrine was built in memory of Kisuke Nogi, an army general in the Russo-Japanese War and headmaster of the Gakushuin.

When you visit the shrine, you will feel a sense of gentle purity and sanctuary that will refresh your body and mind.

Although we do not know who will be enshrined in the shrine thousands of years from now, it is an important place that we hope will be accepted by people as a somewhat refreshing shrine.

[ganhosdoelefante]

Tóquio, 24 de fevereiro de Ano 2 - Quarta - Blogger - 25 anos

06:00 - Acordo, o deixo dormindo e vou correr. 

07:00 - Volto, tomamos banho e nos arrumamos. 

07:40 - Saímos.  08:08 - Chegamos e tomamos café bem rápido:  FamilyMart

08:32 - Trabalhamos. 

12:30 - Almoço sozinha:  Tsukiji Hajime Sengyoten

13:20 - Volto ao trabalho.  17:00 - Saio do trabalho com Yoko.  17:30 - Visitamos um templo:  Nogi-jinja Shrine

Ela me conta toda história e conversamos muito. 

18:30 - Nos despedimos e vou para casa.  18:40 - Tomo um banho e fico confy. 

19:10 - Preparo algo para jantar. 

19:30 - Como uma pipoquinha vendo filme no quarto. 

21:10 - Durmo. 

[gillphoto]

A Study in Contrasts

[jjheejz]

About 13.8.21

This is an ongoing update about the case from start to development. List of all related posts can be found on this blog's pinned post (link provided at bottom of each post as well).

4 December 2021 update: Added ZZH's mothers official address about the matter

9 September 2021 update: Updated major events part

22 August 2021 update: Updated 'thoughts' section

21 August 2021 update: Updated small content

16 August 2021 update: Added paragraph in purple and an important read there

Originally posted on 14 August 2021

[Disclaimer: The purpose of detailing is to let international fans know why it was a deal in China for a clearer picture, this is a cultural and political case with Internet Water Army play(link) involved, so I think having some detailed knowledge is essential.]

The huge event that broke out yesterday (13 August 2021) with him is actually a series of events related to his trip to Japan before covid-19, of which China does not condone. Yesterday was the biggest catalyst and final.

Here's a list of major events that compiled (they are all debunked and proven out of context now, this information remains here to serve as what transpired this day) - and this post link that ZZH's mother officially addressed the accusations on 3 December 2021. This is the ultimate debunk.

- Uploading a Rising Sun Flag(link) car among a spread of his Japan trip's photos on weibo in 2017

- [DEBUNKED LINK HERE] Took a photo outside Yasukuni Shrine(link) and uploaded on his 2nd instagram account in 2018. He lost this account's login details, last post update was 2018. Visiting is alright, praying (by entering) is not. This shrine is also near a tourist attraction so it's easy to think it's another attraction. The shrine angle taken in the picture, was at an unobvious angle of the Shrine.

- Attended a friend's wedding at Nogi Shrine(link) in 2019 (he is NOT a right-wing member as claimed). One of the attendees is a political figure:

- Dewi Sukarno(link), of whom ZZH took a photo with (Circulation raised only of her controversy, but note that she is a respected lady in her country)

- [DEBUNKED LINK HERE] Photo leak of ZZH sitting on Su Xiao Xiao's(link) (a famous ancient Chinese courtesan and poet) - photo seemed to be taken in his early twenties. *Note that it's an empty tomb

- [DEBUNKED link here] Posing hand gesture, with Zhe Jiang Memorial Hall of Revolutionary Martyrs(link) at the background in 2019

- Mermaid image bebunked to be photoshopped

(Please read these places and people online, Wikipedia is also fine - added the link for your quick click underlined too. Generally, the shrines' knowledge are thought by the general Chinese as basic knowledge and taboo offline, so happening consecutively every year is also seen as too coincidental that to them, ZZH did it on purpose).

Other magnified issues unless otherwise seem normal to any non-public figure:

- Took a series of photos in front of Japanese Shrines for 3 consecutive years until covid happened (it could just be a niche interest)

- Learning and speaking a bit of Japanese at his friend's wedding

- Some photos of him in Japan in 2017 uploaded on his second instagram account etc

Reception by China-Chinese:

- First of all, ZZH himself made an official apology on weibo at about 1.39pm yesterday (13 August 2021). Reception by Chinese was getting bad after the issue broke out, and at 5.35pm, he followed up with a repost by a Major Chinese Media reposting his apology, and stated his reflective attitude towards his past actions as a citizen of China. Of course, the comment section and sentiment started to become even more aggressive.

About 8 Major China's official news account reposted his apology post and they generally don't sound forgiving.

After the 6pm news, all brands withdrew their collaborations with him and by midnight today (14 August 2021), all 27 brands had cut ties with him.

- Secondly, to understand this reaction, we have to look at his fans demographics: the major age group of his fans are in the thirties to forties. This explains him topping charts for fan purchase power because this group are mostly working adults. Which also mean, closer familial ties to the after war era about 70+ years, which meant their parents or grandparents may be directly involved during the war. China was a major victim in war, thus the sentiment is very high and the hatred inbred both online and offline is extremely strict and serious. This is why the Shrines that housed the war leaders were seen as taboo. Do read up on those two Shrines, Wikipedia is okay too.

As we all know, China-Chinese place utmost importance in family, it's not limited to father & mother with siblings, it's extensions to uncles, aunt, cousins, grandparents, grandparents' siblings etc (this explains why pre-covid, Chinese people would flood the transport system to go back to their hometown for family reunion), so this war sentiment is really close. International Chinese place a somewhat lighter importance than them.

- Thirdly, (if am not wrong), he is the first celebrity to break out with such amount of political collision. Therefore, his case is deemed one of the, if not the most serious case in the industry as well. Far serious than the other shenanigans lately.

Added on 15 Aug, updated on 18 Aug post update - The Internet Water Army in China

After reading a comment and thinking through, I'm adding this because this is something I neglected to add to draw a bigger picture.

Internet Water Army is prevalent in every Entertainment industry: Phrasing, click-bait titles, twisting context, baseless assumptions, pulling down any celebrities etc.

This needs a post of its own here (link), please read and keep this in mind as well. There's nothing to beautify here, the topic itself is a cloud of negativity and played a huge role.

Maybe just a note to all that, even after this news of him broke out and there was a huge choir of Goodbyes, ZZH's followers did not dropped much at all. (Based from what I rmbed before and after the issue) His official Weibo account dropped merely from 18.9m, to 18.7m in 2 days. So if the backlash was supposed to be such a National serious Political issue, it should have at least caused more unfollows than just a mere 200,000+. Pair with 15.8.21 issue, the Internet Water Army did very well acting to their own script.

ZZH's background

Aside from the event and issue, we also have to look at ZZH's background to understand certain things before concluding.

1. Before WOH, he is a traveler. Adventurous and has many big connections internationally which not a lot of people in their thirties have to his scale. Because of his passion in basketball, he met a number of famous basketball players worldwide. In the Chinese-Korea sports show, he knew some Koreans, and his later changed interest in Golf which I believe also gained him some international golfer connections, and his connections, you can't deny is more than most people's for his age.

Those who came from an ask: 11 years in the entertainment industry

Travelled to not just Japan but Rome, Australia, Taiwan, France, Germany, Greece, Tibet (famous cycling-only trip) and a lot more in his own country etc, I'm sure for Sports purposes there are many more, everyone can tell he is a man before 29 years old, with a fulfilling travel experience, so his world, is definitely wider than the average China-Chinese.

Won't conclude to what extent, but I'm sure he is much more open-minded, and might, i stress the word 'might' be more internationalised than the average China-Chinese.

He seemed more outward that he could have neglected inwards.

2. Before he was famous, or even before WOH (which also means before meeting GJ), he is someone who shares a lot on Weibo. His opinions, his emotions and his life (eating, going out) etc. Very outdoor-sy person and open to share. But because of his looks (manly image) and certain straightforward things he said, he has a history of being cyber bullied/scolded online, by his own fans and maybe some passer-bys. During filming of WOH, his Weibo saga was just one of the many. Also, because of his straightforward captions, this issue arose.

He had represented China in the China-Korea sports show and clearly stated how he should help his teammates score back points for China (can't rmb if it was also the same for his MVP basketball period as well). His face was injured, plastered with bandages but he insisted on completing the competition for China in the sports show.

He is very passionate in both basketball and acting that he had a serious injury to his knee caused by a basketball match, then because of acting, he missed the crucial moment for recovery and went back to filming till an accident occurred again (this drama never got aired), causing permanent damage to which he can never touch his favourite basketball again (in the sense of competitive playing).

Left: Drama snippet that never got to air

Right: ZZH's dunk (not related to the injury)

In recent interviews before the whole situation, he pronounced certain chinese words wrongly, and admitted before he couldn't focus on studying much in school. So in some ways, you could tell he was more an active kid, doesn't like words.

3. After he was ZZS and got famous, and maybe also after meeting GJ, he changed. He isn't as open to sharing much online (which is normal, considering fame can increase wealth, decrease privacy) and his personality obviously internalised and became more sensitive. Much more introverted and less adventurous than last time (covid could be the reason). Reading books, concentrating on singing (mostly melancholic) and putting on a colder front (personally to hide or suppress his sensitive side) etc became much more common.

The sparks and lights of burning passion from his past isn't very visible even during February's interview or even last year (that passion is very prevalent in sports). Personally, i think he became mature, and just, quieter publicly (maybe because it's not sports and the event's nature), except when he's with GJ.

Back to topic

Bringing up his background was not to defuse what he had done. As I said from the start, knowledge is essential, even the person involved and the Media because it helps people to understand and see a bigger picture.

The fact that war's cruelty and hell hole is not fiction and happened in this one generation where there are still people alive to tell their experiences, is a magnitude of its own.

Politics between China and Japan is very strained also mainly because Japan never admitted to the war and certain memorials of their war leaders are still controversially honored which is why it is a huge thing.

The Internet Water Army is also a cause of concern because in this case, they were definitely hired.

Conclusion

You can make your own whole conclusion no matter your background on this but please do so with enough information from all sides: The political aspect, ZZH himself and the Internet Water Army (link).

Thoughts (on 14 August 2021)

For those who had moved on from the Political aspect, you may scroll below for bonus or read about Internet Water Army.

22 August 2021 update: The landscape has changed so this part onwards may be irrelevant (due to IWA). If anyone would like read on, feel free to.

We are all humans the first time, we experience every year and age for the first time. To me unless one did lowly things or killed a person, they are still forgivable. Then again, I'm just an international fan, but ZZH's career is in China.

Knowing ZZH for 5 months and will still continue to, I find he has changed. It's like seeing your son or brother or friend growing and changing after WOH happened. While he did what he did in the past, I'm sure the him now even before this situation arise, would be more cautious on these.

The line between a public figure and commoner is one step across but the difference in reception to the same actions are astronomical. He wasn't famous before, it's more forgivable, he didn't do it when he was famous, but should his past determine his future and his person now?

As an international chinese fan, his whole situation isn't a problem to me in the first place. My first reaction was barely just "Oh. So?" So painting a bigger picture got me to understand more. After learning, it became more of wanting to be there for him. Forgive, dont forget.

My own family lineage has a fair share of war stories directly in China, they are running in my blood real and utterly painful. How can it be easy for those directly involved to move on?

If anything else for me now, it just adds one thing to note about him. That's all. Move on.

Generally, he did something not right, so he will need to bear the outcome, as long as he learns from it, is there a reason not to forgive?

Having done the Fate Series before, I'm once again appalled by it. It may be negative this time, but the scale is also...and how much the whole landscape changed because of his case in a span of one week. Lie down everyone, the road before was paved by IWAs, the road foreward will be their consequences. Lie down and watch.

Bonus

Since today (14.8.21) is Chinese Valentine's Day, one of ZZH's buddy posted this:

"Although many things happened lately, I still hope everyone can spend a happy Valentine's Day on this (beautifully) great occassion.

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day~"

Related posts 🛏️:

- End -

[comparativetarot]

The High Priestess. Art by Nogi San.

This card is inspired from a miko (巫女) in Shinto who is a shrine maiden or a supplementary priestess. Miko were once likely seen as shamans, but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily shrine life, trained to perform tasks, ranging from sacred cleansing to performing the sacred Kagura dance.

[potteresque-ire]

This post is Part 5 of the five-part meta series on the Zhang Zhehan (張哲瀚) Incident, based on what has transpired up to 2021/08/22.

1) The 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) & the Yasukuni Shrine 2) Post-War Sino-Japanese Relations; “Every Chinese should visit the Yasukuni Shrine” 3) The Summer of 2021: The Brewing Storms for One 4) My Thoughts on Zhang’s Incident, Part A 5) My Thoughts on Zhang’s Incident, Part B

5) My Thoughts on Zhang’s Incident, Part B

As a highlight to the mob nature leading to Zhang’s downfall, please consider the timeline immediately before and after Zhang’s losing his endorsements on August 13th (or, why August 13th really mattered):

August 12th, evening: Zhang’s 2019 attendance of a wedding at the Nogi Shrine (乃木神社) went on Weibo hot search, and into public awareness. The Nogi Shrine (乃木神社) is of far less fame than the Yasukuni Shrine, but was named after a Japanese general of the Imperialist Japanese Army who was also the governor-general of then colonial Taiwan.

August 13th, ~ 2 am: netizens uncovered photos of Zhang’s 2018 visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which were spread onto Weibo and made the hot search.

August 13th, 1:39 pm: Zhang posted his first letter of apology that began with: “Today, I’m ashamed of my once ignorant self, and furthermore, wants to apologise deeply for my past inappropriate behaviour.” (今天我為曾經無知的自己而羞愧，更要對之前不當行為深刻地道歉。)

August 13th, 2 pm: Nabuo Kishi, Japan’s current Minister of Defence, and a right-wing member of the House of Representative, Yasutoshi Nishimura, made an un-announced visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. The date was 2 days earlier than the 76th anniversary of Emperor Hirohito’s surrender speech (August 15th), as customary for Japanese officials to avoid visiting the shrine on significant anniversary dates of the war.

August 13th, 4:39 pm: People’s Daily (人民日報) published an online critique of Zhang’s apology. “… As a public figure, to be so lacking in historical knowledge, so unfeeling towards the suffering of the nation, it’s too inappropriate. On matters of righteousness of the nation, testing is not permissible, challenges are definitely not permissible. If knowingly committed, one would pay a heavy price.”  (。。。身為公眾人物，對歷史常識如此匱乏，對民族苦難渾然不覺，太不應該。事關民族大義，不容任何試探，更不容有任何挑戰。若明知故犯，就得付出沈重代價。)

August 13th, 5:05 pm: CCTV News (央視新聞) posted the video of Nabuo Kishi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

August 13th, 5:33: Zhang was dropped from his first endorsement. He would be dropped by all 27 of them within the next 5 hours.

August 13th, 5:35 pm: Zhang responded to People’s Daily’s critique piece, stating he shall repent and learn his lesson, and that as a Chinese, he loves his country and the CCP.

August 13th, ~6 pm: S. Korean news reported that the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned the Japanese ambassador in Korea to protest the visit of the Japanese Defence Minister to the Yasukuni Shrine.

August 13th, 6:26 pm: CCTV News (央視新聞) critiqued Zhang’s apology. “Whether to take photos in front of the Yasukuni Shrine, or to attend a wedding at the Nogi Shrine, Zhang Zhehan touched the wounds of history, hurt the feelings of the nation. It cannot be blamed on “once ignorance.” Just now, a Japanese Minister went to the Yasukuni Shrine for “demon worshipping” (Pie note: demon, from guizi 鬼子), China firmly opposes to this wrongdoing of Japanese high officials…” (無論在靖國神社前合影，還是到乃木神社參加婚禮，張哲瀚都觸碰了歷史傷痕，傷害了民族感情，不能簡單歸咎為「曾經無知」。就在剛剛，有日本大臣到靖國神社「拜鬼」，中方堅決反對日本政要這種錯誤做法。。。)

August 13th, 9 pm: China’s Ministry of National Defence answered press questions regarding the Yasukuni Shrine visit by Nabuo Kishi and Yasutoshi Nishimura.

Not only did Zhang’s incident happened in August, 2021, it happened on pretty much the worst day for him in August, 2021; the latest of his incident interleaved the unfolding news of the Japanese high officials’ visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

What I’d like to call attention to, however, is this: Zhang’s endorsements didn’t begin dropping until *after* People’s Daily criticism.

If the companies had been genuinely offended by Zhang’s action, why was the wait necessary? If their Chinese feelings were genuinely hurt, why hadn’t they moved earlier, in the morning of August 13th, when Zhang’s visit went on hot search? Were these companies also ignorant about history, the significance of the the Yasukuni Shrine? The Chinese government has far more important things to worry about than an idol, but what about these companies that had paid good money for their spokesperson? That watch the public opinion, the market carefully?

Even if they didn’t care about the war themselves, why hadn’t they dropped Zhang based on the expected public opinion? What does that say about what these market experts believed, or knew about the public opinion? What does that say about their assessment of whether their potential customers would, as their actual selves, stop spending money on their products because of Zhang’s Yasukuni Shrine visit?

Were the act of dropping Zhang, then, more an act of performative patriotism than anything else? Once the first company started, the rest raced to follow for fear of being the slowest one, viewed as the least patriotic one. Hence, the 5-hour storm of endorsements abandoning Zhang. This herd ... mob behaviour, in which actions were either not taken or all taken at the same time, was also observed in the timing of different online platforms removing Zhang’s works, and fandom content with his name.

A “bingo card” for netizens to cross out Zhang’s endorsements as the sequential drops happened. Similar cards for Kris Wu had circulated in July. 

Were WoH and Zhang’s other group projects removed because Zhang was unpatriotic, or was it because the online platforms (and the tech giants behind them) were trying to protect themselves? Youku explained WoH’s first-time removal as a technical glitch but then, as reports of other platforms removing Zhang’s content poured in, the series was removed again.  

How much is real when it comes to the thunderous online declarations of love and betrayal against China? 

Related to this: turtles may remember the Xinjiang cotton incident in March, 2021, how Chinese netizens harassed anyone who used, endorsed Nike. One may assume, with that outcry, that rage, that anyone with a reputation to keep, with ties to the Chinese state, in particular, have severed their ties with the brand.

As it turns out, the teams of the Chinese Super (Football) League, for example, have kept their Nike kits. The Chinese Football Association (CFA), which, despite being officially non-governmental and nonprofit, is managed by the State General Administration of Sports (國家體育總局), issued a statement on March 27th on Weibo that only criticised Nike’s “wrong actions in choosing its cotton source” (對耐克公司在棉花原料選擇上的錯誤行徑表達了譴責), and reserved “its right to further deal with  contract with Nike” (保留進一步處理同耐克合同的權力). It never cut off the contract with Nike: a 10-year sponsorship,  signed in 2018, which amounts to 3 million RMB (463,000 USD) in funds from Nike for each football club every year. The CFA statement was later removed from Weibo. Photos of the football players have simply had the Nike Swoosh covered up, or photoshopped away. 

Photos from the Shanghai Shenhua football club, with and without the swoosh (Source).

Life is practical in China … and darkly humorous, at times. As a Mao-founded regime should be, perhaps.

I got Asks wondering then: will our non-Zhang-related favourite stars and CPs, dramas and fandoms get affected by the incident?

At the moment, my guess leans towards a no. My basis is this: in the critique piece against Zhang, published on 2021/08/16, by 中纪委 Central Commission for Discipline Inspection—the CCDI, by the way, is the highest anti-corruption, rules and regulations body in China—I believe the reason Zhang was disciplined was clearly stated:

對於所有「拜鬼」行為，中國都堅決反對。但如果我們國內的公眾人物去靖國神社都不被譴責和追究，我們又怎麼挺直腰桿要求外國人不去呢？

“Regarding all “demon worship” behaviour, China holds firm oppositions. But if our own public figures going to the Yasukuni Shrine get no reprimands, no investigations of responsibility, how can we straighten our backs and demand foreigners to not go?”

This has led me to think the state has no ulterior motives in targeting Zhang: Zhang’s “sin” was limited to his visiting the Yasukuni Shrine as a well-known, public figure, and/but that was enough. And the punishment had to be given in a heavy-handed, high profile manner, given the “news “of Zhang’s visit broke out on August 13, 2021. The following observation may be my being over-sensitive, but in the timeline above, Zhang was reprimanded, and his first round of the punishment in full swing (dropping of endorsements), before the China’s Ministry of National Defence talked to the press, which happened later than it had to be (compare the timing with S. Korea’s). Short of removing Zhang’s hot searches—which netizens would’ve noticed—this ordering of events was necessary; otherwise, the Chinese government issuing a formal complaint against Japan for their Minister of Defence’s visit to the shrine would’ve co-existed on the hot search with the report of China’s own celebrity visiting the same place. I therefore believe the state’s reaction had nothing to do with how Zhang achieved his fame, the past and present projects he was involved in, the CPs he was coupled with. Other state agencies and media would likely be careful about not attaching these topics to Zhang’s case as well, so not to distract from the central message of the government that … the Japanese are very bad people in the summer of 2021.

(Whether they’ll attach them to the Clear and Bright campaign is another matter.) 

Another Ask ~ Will Zhang be able to make a comeback? In five years? Ten?

Looking that far ahead is difficult, but one thing has to happen for Zhang to return—the Japanese have to stop being very bad people according to the Chinese government, which isn’t likely to happen soon. The Japanese government has shown few signs that they shall soon revise their attitudes towards their World War II history  (Yasutoshi Nishimura, who went to the Shrine with Japan’s Minister of Defence on August 13th, is associated with a historical revisionist group), while China’s escalating military aggression in the Indo-Pacific region will be seen as a growing threat to Japan, likely push the country towards the right. 

And 5, 10 years later, Zhang will be 35, 40 years old. Even if he’ll be able to work in the industry again, it’ll be difficult for him to achieve the fame he has before. Also, just because the government no longer bans him doesn’t mean production companies will be willing to hire him; he’ll be considered high risk—policies of China are volatile, after all, and the decision to un-ban can be easily reversed.

(I’m so sorry, Anon, I wish I have a better answer for you.)

And... here’s a thought I’ll finally end this meta series with. I don’t see Zhang as the only loser in this incident. I don’t really see any winners in this incident at all. An industry is dangerous for its every worker if its narrative, its list of guilty is penned by cyber mobs and in the name of patriotism; if the accused cannot speak for themselves, aren’t allowed to grow; if its rules of appropriate conduct are every-changing (The Reporter in 2017 = OK; Zhang in 2018 = Not OK); if its workers are penalised not by their own deeds but their associations (the rest of the cast and production team of WoH and other Zhang-associated projects).

The think tank for the National Ratio and Television Authority (國家廣播電視總局; NRTA, ie, the Chinese visual media censorship board), in their criticism piece about Zhang, hinted at even rougher waters ahead, in light of Zhang’s (and Kris Wu’s) transgressions:

明星頻頻「犯事」，說到底還是行業內對明星藝德約束不夠嚴格。據瞭解，電影行業正在籌備全國電影界道德委員會，將對電影從業人員道德規範提出更高要求，並提出，要將明星藝德納入法治化的軌道中來，給明星藝德約束加一道法規之鎖，明確明星的責任和義務，將明星的個人行為與職業利益掛鈎。 “The ultimate cause of stars “getting into trouble” frequently is that the industry has not tied a sufficiently severe bind on the stars’ artistic virtue (Pie note: roughly, = professional ethics). Based on reports, the film industry is preparing a National Film Industry Morality Committee that shall raise the moral requirements for film industry workers. The industry has also suggested that the stars’ artistic virtue shall eventually be governed by laws, to add a lock of legality to the bind of artistic virtues for the stars, to make clear the stars’ responsibilities and obligations, to couple a star’s personal behaviour with their professional (monetary) gains.”

My interpretation of this: should the suggestions become reality, it shall be written in future film contracts that a star who commits an act that the state considers immoral will have to pay the investors the production cost of their projects, and possibly, the projected profit. 

To put some dollar signs to this interpretation: a high-profile star may work on one or more projects with a price tag in the order of 100 million RMB (~15 million USD); box office, merchandise sells, and long term profits expected from online streaming can raise that number by several fold. This is a sum that even the most affluent stars will have a difficult time affording—and that’s before considering the endorsements, for which current contracts already require the stars to pay the damages.

The key word here is that the offending act only has to be considered immoral, not criminal. Immoral acts range from not liking the CCP enough—an easy-to-understand offence—to deviation from the society’s 公序良俗 (“public order and fine customs”), which includes just about anything that disagrees with the state-defined mainstream values.

Stars are stars because they invite the imaginations of their audience, because they break boundaries: from the seemingly insurmountable humdrum of daily life, to something that can be much, much more.

Stars should, of course, be law-abiding; they should be patriotic. But a star who’s mainstream in every way? Are they still a star, something we regular people wonder about, dream upon?

Bind and lock, the NRTA think tank referred to these suggestions. It reminders me of a quote by the famous Chinese director, Feng Xiaogang (馮小剛), who, in 2014, complained to BBC—perhaps in a slip of tongue—that Chinese directors could be like “dancing with fetters” (戴著腳鐐去跳舞) when working with the country’s censorship system.

Yeah. It’s kinda like that.

===

The Zhang Zhehan Incident Meta Series:

PART 1  PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 <- YOU ARE HERE

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — September 11-17

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

09-11 → #WordofHonor continued to trend on Twitter.

→ Slander from Wu Lei/Zhao Lusi fans continued (see the end of 09-06 in the previous week’s post for context). Mods from both of their solo supertopics stated that the actions and views seen in the CPF supertopic do not reflect their own nor the actors; Wu Lei’s solo fans said that they had informed Zhao Lusi’s studio about what was happening and had urged her to say something, and Zhao Lusi’s solo mods said they had disowned the CPF mods a month ago for being antis.

→ Possible hexagon ring sighting from Fox Spirit Matchmaker’s filming. A hashtag about Gong Jun’s costume got on hotsearch.

→ Another actor, Li Yifeng, was detained for soliciting sex workers, with police saying this was discovered while they were investigating another crime. This caused a ripple effect over the next few days of other celebrities and their studios being very careful and more quiet than usual. At the time of this post, Li Yifeng’s endorsements have terminated their contracts and his social media accounts were closed on 09-15, nothing has happened yet to his body of work; CAPA have yet to release any statement about him, the hypocrites. Fan Observation: Solicitation of sex workers is not enough on its own for Weibo account suspension, as the account of another celebrity who did the same is still up. This supports suspicions that he is being suspected of something else as well. 

09-12 → Fox Spirit Matchmaker’s Weibo posted two photos for the lead actress Yang Mi’s birthday, one of which included Gong Jun in costume.

09-13 → 361° posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted audio of a “new song”, saying that a music video is coming soon.

→ QuelleVous posted that Lao Ahyi likely was involved in the editing the of the Nogi Shrine and Dewi Sukarno Baidu pages on 21-08-12. She claimed to have reported the users who edited them at the end of August, but there is no record of her doing so.

09-14 → QuelleVous posted an exposé about the user who edited Xie Yihua’s Baidu page on 813, whose editing history is not publicly visible. They are currently employed at Baidu as a project manager. Followups: [1] [2]

Bluebird followed this with a handy summary of Xie Yihua’s actions and involvement against Zhang Zhehan.

→ Kangshifu posted an illustrated ad featuring Gong Jun. 

09-15 → #LoveGongJun trended on Twitter.

→ QuelleVous posted that the “bye bye” left on Zhang Zhehan’s QQ Music account on 21-08-15—what many believed to have been our last message from him—was posted by Xie Yihua. 

→ Rising with the Wind’s Weibo posted one of the posters for the show along with the cast list. Shortly after, they posted the first trailer [subbed video] (11:05, 511 kadian, almost definitely a coincidence) followed by nine stills, two of which feature Gong Jun, followed by another three, two of which feature Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun reposted a post by Ester Yu promoting a guest appearance of hers. (11:11, 511 kadian with the date) His added caption: “Call Beauty Yu! Watch ‘A Little Forest for Two’ tonight 😎” Ester Yu replied with the comment, “Thank you handsome guy for supporting!! Looking forward to Rising With The Wind!!” The two met during a joint guest appearance on Go Fridge! at the end of June 2021, and Ester Yu starred in the recent drama Love Between Fairy and Devil. 

→ Gong Jun posted the trailer for Rising with the Wind. (11:17, 511 kadian, switch the hour and minute places) Caption: “Let everyone in the bureau win a victory, this is the confidence of investor Xu Si.” His studio reposted this with the added caption, “Turn against the wind to create a win-win situation. Profession and self-confidence are the strengths of Mr. Xu”

→ Rising with the Wind’s producer posted two additional stills featuring Gong Jun.

→ #GongJun trended on Twitter.

→ iQiyi’s promotional Douyin posted a short video of Gong Jun in costume for Fox Spirit Matchmaker.

→ Gong Jun posted on Weibo, “The invitation letter has been recieved, ready to go to the trendy space with @Louis Vuitton. Make an appointment for the live broadcast at 18:00 on September 16th to enjoy #LVAranyaMen's Fashion Show#!” (16:04, 1640 kadian)

→ Li Ronghao posted a douyin of himself listening to Gong Jun’s part in the song Flowers. Gong Jun commented, “Ge, compliments to the BGM!” (19:51, 511 kadian)

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted three photos of him in front of a sunset. Caption: “Boss @ Gong Jun Simon arrives at the picture” (19:20, 51129 kadian with the date) The same photos were also posted to his Instagram, caption: “The trip here made my head dizzy 😂” (20:11, 51129 kadian with the date), and his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “Travelled for 12 hours, my head is dizzy, I've finally arrived... ” (20:07, 51129 kadian with the date if you add the 12 to the minutes) [quoted translations] Fan Observations:  -  He’s wearing a blue mask in the photos.  -  Every single post he made this day included possible kadians.  -  Gong Jun was supposed to fly from Yiwu to Beijing but cancelled his flight, instead travelling by train and ending in Tianjin where he had a photoshoot. Because of the two above points, there is Speculation™ from fans which some have already dubbed the One Night in Tianjin.

09-16 → Gong Jun continued trending on Twitter.

→ Kangshifu posted an illustrated ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ BEAST posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ One of Xie Yihua’s main Weibo accounts 花盆向阳—used to disseminate higher quality pictures of those posted to the Instagram—was deactivated.

→ Gong Jun attended the Louis Vuitton Aranya show. Several related tags got on Weibo hotsearch, and Weibo analytics shows that he was the most talked about celebrity present at the event. [video interview]

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a video of him from a photoshoot that was cancelled the previous night due to fans stalking him. Caption: “A night tour diary of boss @ Gong Jun Simon~ The pictures were not taken last night, first use the video to engrave the beautiful moments of the night!” This was also posted to his studio Douyin, caption: “The beautiful moment with boss Gong Jun Simon is engraved, see you tonight!”

→ Kangshifu posted three illustrated ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted twelve photos of him from the show. Caption: “The sea breeze is gentle, and the tie-dye embellishment is used to interpret the new attitude of fashion with color and imagination. Explore the world of innocence with boss @ Gong Jun Simon, and start a fantasy journey” 

His studio later posted a video from the show. Caption: “Boss @ Gong Jun Simon casually travels to explore the fun of children, I will see you in a moment 😎” This was also posted to his studio Douyin, caption: “The wind is blowing by the seaside, feel the cozy moment, boss @ Gong Jun Simon feels the tranquility of the autumn afternoon, and starts a fun journey!“

They later posted a douyin of him watching the show. Caption: “Boss @ Gong Jun Simon's yearning for new clothes is written on his face (and hands)” The suit in this video is what he said he was most excited to see, and the woman sitting next to him is Louis Vuitton’s head of PR.

→ Gong Jun did not attend the after party, instead flying to Beijing.

→ Louis Vuitton posted a photo of Gong Jun from the show. (23:11, 511 kadian)

09-17 → Gong Jun continued to trend on Twitter.

Addition 09-19: Watsons posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun for a collaboration with Colgate.

→ Gong Jun posted six photos taken the previous day. Caption: “Checked in at @ Louis Vuitton's childhood inspirations 🥁 #LVMenSS23 was exquisitely created through the collision of colors, full of fun and causes infinite reverie. Let's revisit this fashion extravaganza with me.” [quoted translation] Shortly after, he posted these and three more to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “ 🥁 Relive childlike fun! On the beach in the evening, watch the #LVAranya menswear show. Inspiration and color collide with each other, bringing infinite imagination, novel shape, wonderful beyond the standard. Enjoy this children's feast together ☁”, then the six to his Instagram, caption: “A cute and fun show!”

→ LockNLock posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun to announce the winners of a giveaway.

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted twelve photos of him from the previous day. (12:31, 511 kadian) Caption: “Immerse yourself in the playground of children's fun, toys carry imagination, yesterday's boss @ Gong Jun Simon is a ‘big child’ who enjoys freedom 🥳” Fan Observation: There are two very similar wide angle photos, one of which for some reason has the building’s entrance and detailing on the wall edited out. 

→ Louis Vuitton posted the earlier photo of Gong Jun to their Twitter and their Instagram.

→ SOCosmo posted a video interview with Gong Jun from the Loius Vuitton show. [subbed video]

→ If Fashion posted a video interview with Gong Jun from the Louis Vuitton show. [subbed video] The host later made a post praising Gong Jun’s professional and friendly behaviour.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news thread

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This post was last edited 2022-09-19.

[screaming-apple]

THE VOICE OF A MASTER OF HISTORY FROM BEIJING UNIVERSITY ABOUT 813

[Translate] - I translate from a Vietnamese translation, not from the original Chinese post as I do not speak Chinese. In the process of translating through two languages, there might be mistakes and small misunderstandings of words and phrases. I've tried my best to keep the writer's voice and make everything as clear as possible.

Notes: (In Italics and round brackets): My notes

(Only in round brackets): Writer's notes

---

The voice of a Master of History from Beijing University about Zhang Zhehan’s case. This is one of the rare people who spoke up to clarify for ZZH, but then got attacked relentlessly by anti-fans, being labelled as “whitewashing” for ZZH, getting insulted and their post got reported to the point of disappearing. Later, ZZH’s fans petitioned Beijing University and it had been confirmed that the historical information in the post was entirely correct. Now, fans are spreading the post under the format of pictures and uploading them under tags created for clarifying things up.

--------

It is truly impossible to watch one wave after another targeting ZZH organizationally and intentionally to criticize his morality. It must be said that this scheme has been very sophisticated, standing on the noble moral foundation of patriotism and spirit to fight against Japan, even fans don’t know how to justify the situation, and could only use ZZH’s past patriotic comments and actions to prove his case. But it is basically unnecessary! What it’s called “foul documents” are full of inaccuracy, starting from educating people on history.

There are 4 main black details: 1. Nogi Maresuke was the one who led the Lushun massacre and was a Japanese militaristic war criminal, ZZH participating in the wedding being held at the Nogi shrine = unpatriotic, “pro-Japan”; 2. Madam Dewi, who was a guest from Indonesia, is an anti-China person, supporting a different kind of “independence”, representing the right-wing in Japan; 3. On Weibo posting a Japanese flag; 4. A picture was taken at the Yasukuni shrine.

First thing, about the number 1, about Nogi Maresuke, if he really was the death-bringer of the Lushun massacre, I wonder when did netizens’ knowledge about history get so good to the point of knowing about Nogi Maresuke. When going on a walk on the street and asking around randomly, I would know that not even 1 in 100 Chinese people is aware of this person. I think ZZH did not know about this part of the history, not to mention it’s not just him, 99% of Chinese people did not either. In terms of historical values, the Nogi shrine is less than the Yasukuni shrine, but after everything has gone down, his anti-fans equated their notoriety. For there’s a high chance that he did not know, at least we could say that he had not intentionally visited that place. In my opinion, I can not find any ZZH’s blemish, as I have searched through every historical note relating to him and looked up all the details that have been exaggerated, only to discover a result that makes no sense at all.

On number 2, about Madam Dewi. This is even more of uncommon historical knowledge, please, Indonesians going against the Chinese happened during the Suharto era. Consul in the period from 1965 to 1966. But Madam Dewi’s husband is Sukarno, the Founding President of Indonesia, also the founder of the Non-Aligned Movement and they were the first group to accept the Chinese People’s Republic. The famous Bandung conference was initiated in his administration, and also created a new international stage for a new China, which was originally not accepted by the West at that time. Besides, President Sukarno was overthrown by Suharto in 1965, because he was not “anti-communism”, anti-China, but pro-China and then got overthrown by Suharto who was incited by the US. History calls it the “9.30 event”, anti-China was in the time after this. As his wife, Madam Dewi was also kept in custody and finally banished. So, why is Madam Dewi a right-winger in Japan? She had a good impression of teacher Kim from North Korea and has publicly written articles praising the construction of socialism and the fight for the independence of North Korea. For this reason, right-wingers in Japan came to her house to cause trouble, and without a word, she grabbed her flower pot and threw it at these members of the right-wing. The past was smashed. We could see that, both internal and external networks would answer that she is pro-communism! To say that she was one of the Indonesians who started the movement of going against China, ask our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see if they agree! There is no evidence proving that Madam Dewi is a Japanese spy, this is an agreement among historians who study the era of the Cold War inside and outside of the country, how can netizens crack open the dozens-of-year-old unsolved mysteries in the academic field? On the Internet, unchecked information (unclear in the Vietnamese translation so I guessed this one, might not be very correct) is all considered to be facts, even gets spread to the point of being overwhelming. Anti-fans were not hesitant to alter history, rewrite history to harm someone, slandering the great people of the United Front as going against China. The saddest thing is that no one bothers to study, research carefully, becoming accomplices of evil-doers.

Furthermore, if the Nogi shrine is the spiritual symbol of Japanese militarism, what were ZZH and his friends doing there? Laughing with each other, drinking, singing, playing games? Wow, is this what is called pro-Japan and worshipping militarism? Nowadays, if someone does this in martyrs' memorials or their old living spaces, would someone tolerate it? So why don’t we perceive it in a different way? ZZH in the right-wingers' burial place, having fun, causing chaos, feeling happy and proud because of China.

3. On his Weibo, there’s a picture taken of a car with the Japanese flag. I don't know about the car, but I guess that it’s a popular and famous sports car. This does not explain the issue, but I had a similar experience when I travelled to Taiwan for vacation, back then I did take pictures with the sky and the flag, many tourists from the mainland also did the same. Most were just random photographs, doesn’t matter if it was a beautiful sight or if it was out of curiosity, should we be considered as separatists? Did he wave the Japanese flag, advocating for Japan or something? How can taking pictures on a tour trip result in being denounced like this?

4. Taking pictures at the Yasukuni shrine. There are high-level war criminals being worshipped in the Yasukuni shrine, I’m not whitewashing this issue. The shrine itself is a tourist attraction open to the world, and the shrine is not reserved for World War II’s war criminals. Other than them, there are also famous people from previous generations of Japan. If you want to learn about the cultures and customs of Japan and Shinto (a religion in Japan), this is basically a place you need to visit. Obviously, ZZH would not have gone there to learn about cultures, but considering his actions, who was actually there, taking pictures in colourful clothes, compared to Japanese artists visiting this place to worship, to pray, it’s completely different. Shouldn’t Chinese traitors go to the Yasukuni shrine to pray, to bow to those being worshipped in the shrine? Why was he laughing, joking around like that, compared to the Deity of his heart, isn’t that highly disrespectful? You all can call him insensitive, or say an artist’s level of education is not high, he did not care about the public’s emotions (but he was not famous at that time), and he does not deserve that many fans. But labelling him as a country traitor, pro-Japan, it’s disgusting!

Slandering someone as not loyal to their country, joining in with outsiders’ forces is the most shameless action. Unless the government claims it to be true, others should not join these witch-hunts under its (the government’s) name; if there is any suspect, you can go to the relevant department to report, but you are unable to sue until there is a conclusion. Because these kinds of crime, even injuring someone, can be enough for someone to suffer cyber-violence, social death, to fall from grace, forever unable to come back, while netizens who were busy “eating melons news” will only simply say “I’m sorry, I was wrong”.

Obviously, being a celebrity with a high level of fame, especially in this trend of updating the news, under the circumstance where the opponents are not hesitant to strike, while in recent years, the spirit of patriotism is rising high, the grey area is getting smaller. For instance, a few years ago, I went on a trip, the pictures taken of sights, of the streets with the blue sky, with the sun, with Japanese flags, would not be put on the list. Nowadays, they are exploited by crooks, who use the morality issue to unjustly incriminate, so being a public figure, you should really be careful. Of course, because of this atmosphere, no matter if it’s current celebrities, public figures, or publicized things, what people say has become more boring. I look up to ZZH because this person is really interesting, presuming he will not be able to keep on being himself later on. To think of it, it’s kind of a pity.

Besides, these shady people dare to stand up, with no fake names, not trying to hide. Do these people want to create a huge controversy? Straight up dig out, initiating an international scandal, showing the world how they slander history, turn white into black, and afterwards, affect the current relationship between China and Indonesia, senselessly call someone pro-Japan, make the world ridicule us, I can see how “packed” you all are (I think “packed” here is like “well-prepared”).

Finally, I think ZZH and his team don’t need to be afraid, this problem can not just die down by cooling down the hot search (hot searches are measured by “heat”). Seeing how records, documents and attacking methods have been used, it’s clear that they want to send this person to his death. I don’t think they can put a square in a round hole, saying Madam Dewi is anti-China, claiming to know Nogi Maresuke well, are they really common citizens? It also relates to capitalism, I think the so-called entrepreneurship is definitely capitalism. Afterwards, take advantage of the people’s simple patriotism.

If a simple apology is enough, then it’s basically over now. Want to target the sensitivity of society to apologize, then letting these thugs perform as they please, don’t you people want to report? I support you doing so! Let the relevant departments check carefully if ZZH has had any acts of treason, at the same time let the higher domestic departments and government know what is the current trend like, how easy it is to wrong someone, slandering a passionately patriotic youth of over a dozen of years, someone who was willing to risk it all for the nation’s pride in the match between China and (South) Korea. If someone like that breaks down from the cyber-violence, there will be more hearts of true patriots broken as well. Finally, everyone will have to wear a mask, all of the posts speaking up will just be representative advertisements and days of delivering patriotic documents (yeah this part is not clear to me either, take it as whatever you think it is, sorry for the unclear translation). This is not patriotism, this is Wu Yifan! (If you don’t know, you can look up his scandal).

Everything can be connected to each other, ZZH - Zhao Wei - Alibaba - Softbank - Japan. The economy in the time of globalization means there is me in you, and there is you in me. Cornering the upstream and the downstream is harmful to the long-term development of the country’s medium and small enterprises. If you want to fight, sexual harassment among employees must be investigated and dealt with. But one thing must be separated from another, it’s a problem of the current time, and you must contact people about it. Wronging ZZH himself, I can help you people contact the US and Japan for a connection. According to this announcement, should the administration of Hangzhou city be reported? Alibaba has got many benefits from Hangzhou city’s policies, while Alibaba has soon been invested in by Softbank. Why have you used Alipay, Huatan, and Yu'e Bao for so many years? (The end of this part is not very clear in Vietnamese either, this is the best I could translate, my apology.)

There is a saying in Shan He Ling (WoH): “The evil-doers letting go of their blades can step up to become Buddha, should a good person having done a bad thing go to hell?” Even if he is not emotionally clever enough as a public figure, not caring about the China-Japan relationship that has already been fragile and dependent on the public’s opinions, people can't just frame him as a country traitor, pro-Japan. Patriots are not perfect people either. ZZH is known as “Little pink (Xiao fenhong)” everywhere, by everyone. What have these keyboard warriors done for international affairs? So ridiculous!

(“Little pink” is a term used to describe young Chinese patriots on the internet, also used to call young people who follow nationalism under the command of the Communist Youth League.)

- - -

Credits go to: 书影茶香

Vietnamese translation by: Nhà nhỏ yêu thương Tiểu Triết (Little house loving Xiao Zhe)

Yeah, look at the guy's clothes. Such suitable clothes for praying and worshipping in a respected shrine 🙄 CAPA is fucking ridiculous.