Chinese dramas and films

Having a large fanbase is something every star aspires to. Expanding the fandom and maintaining relationships with supporters is an essential part of being a public figure. And usually, fans are the most well‑intentioned and peaceful people, ready to share and explain everything.

But sometimes, fan love crosses all boundaries of acceptable behavior. For instance, when one fandom attacks another, believing that their beloved star has been humiliated in favor of another. And a completely senseless but ruthless war begins.

This is exactly what happened around the new advertising campaign of the global brand Gucci — Gucci Primavera. It marks the first campaign under Gucci's new creative director for the collection presented in Milan in February 2026.

The campaign features Xiao Zhan, Jin from BTS, NINGNING from aespa, Lee Young Ae, Kate Moss, Shawn Mendes, Tom Brady, Alex Consani, Rico Nasty, Tarzzan, and EsDeeKid.

It is worth recalling that both Xiao Zhan and Jin are Gucci ambassadors — Xiao Zhan for jewelry and Jin for watches.

Xiao Zhan

Jin

When Gucci released the promotional materials, ARMY (BTS fans) concluded that Jin had been belittled in comparison to Xiao Zhan. They argued that Xiao Zhan was placed in a more prominent position, his image took up more space than Jin's, his name appeared in headlines, while Jin was relegated to the "and more" section.

ARMY, when in combat mode, unfortunately, rarely holds back in their statements or gives much thought to reality. A wave of posts flooded social media with rhetoric like «who is this Xiao Zhan anyway?» or «a nobody actor»... And here, a major mistake was made. If you don't like how an ad is shot, you can and should criticize it. But personal attacks reflect more poorly on those who make them than on their target.

Xiao Zhan is, of course, a highly renowned Chinese artist and currently one of the biggest stars in China, whether some like it or not. The fact that BTS fans may not know this does not diminish his fame or the commercial value of the «Xiao Zhan» personal brand.

This brings us to one of the most fascinating aspects of this fandom battle. ARMY is considered the largest global fandom, while Xiao Zhan's fans — «Xiǎo Fēi Xiá» (Peter Pan, Xiao Fei Xia, Shrimp, Little Flying Knight, XFX, 小赞熊猫, Xiao Zhan Panda)  — are predominantly a domestic Chinese fanbase, as the actor is promoted more within China than internationally.

We are used to thinking that a global fandom is the strongest. And ARMY has always confirmed its global power.

But apparently, this thesis needs some adjustment. A global fandom is more powerful — until it comes to China.

«Xiǎo Fēi Xiá» is one of the most organized, active, and disciplined fan groups in China. They are known for their ability to quickly push Xiao Zhan's posts to the top of search rankings and polls on Chinese platforms (Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu). Their activity often breaks records for likes, reposts, and views. The fandom also wields enormous economic power. They actively support all of Xiao Zhan's commercial projects — advertising and merchandise featuring him. Fans frequently make bulk purchases to demonstrate the «power of the fandom» to brands. As of August 2026, Xiao Zhan had 33.9 million followers on Weibo alone, with 5.7 billion reposts, likes, and quotes of posts from his account. In January 2026, the fandom demonstrated incredible organization at the Weibo Night awards, amassing 4.097 billion (!!) activity points and securing Xiao Zhan's victory.

So, when Xiao Zhan's fans saw the disparaging remarks directed at their idol, they were, to put it mildly, offended. Considering that BTS and ARMY are, after all, foreigners to China, their resentment was amplified by the patriotism typical for Chinese people. And indeed, in any country, fans would take offense on behalf of their star, wouldn't they?

Xiao Zhan

Jin

But events escalated so quickly that «Xiǎo Fēi Xiá» barely had time to shift from peaceful to battle mode when the Chinese ARMY fandom made a catastrophic mistake. Some particularly fanatical account suddenly decided to publish Xiao Zhan's personal data in open access for all of China and the world. That is, they leaked his ID, address, and so on. This action is called «kaihe» in the Chinese internet.

In Russia, for instance, this is a criminal offense — either Article 137 of the Criminal Code «Violation of Privacy,» carrying penalties ranging from fines to up to 4 years of imprisonment, or Article 272 «Unlawful Access to Computer Information» (if a database was hacked) carrying up to 7 years of imprisonment.

In China, it is even harsher. Criminal cases for «kaihe» are initiated almost instantly. The Criminal Code of China (Article 253-1) «Crime of Encroaching on Citizens' Personal Information» provides for up to 7 years. And China is systematically tightening its crackdown on such violations.

Belatedly, one of the Chinese fan accounts for Jin issued a statement on the situation. It specifically mentioned that a certain user who had been posting provocative comparisons had contributed to the escalation and called for that person to be punished. The statement also used the phrase «don't judge an idol by his fans» («粉丝行为不上升偶像»).

But it was already too late. Xiao Zhan's studio very promptly prepared an official notice of legal proceedings. Lawyers have documented all evidence and filed lawsuits against several users on the Weibo and Xiaohongshu platforms. They are demanding that the platforms disclose the real names of the violators to hold them fully accountable under the law.

«Zhejiang Lingyun Xihe Law Firm» (hereinafter — «our firm») has been retained by Xiao Zhan's studio and Mr. Xiao Zhan (hereinafter collectively — «the clients») to carry out the preservation of evidence and judicial protection of rights in connection with the actions of users on various internet platforms who continue to publish offensive and defamatory false information about Mr. Xiao Zhan, which presumably violates his legal rights to reputation and privacy.

At present, with regard to internet users, including user «用**7» (UID: 70*84) on the Sina Weibo platform and user «使*****拜» (ID on Xiaohongshu: 66*91) on the Xiaohongshu platform, who are suspected of malicious curses, insults, defamation, and violation of Mr. Xiao Zhan's rights to reputation and privacy, our firm has completed the collection and preservation of evidence and has immediately filed lawsuits in court. We request the court to order the relevant internet platforms to disclose the real identifying information of the involved users in accordance with the law and to hold them accountable through judicial proceedings. Furthermore, court cases against other internet users whose real names have already been legally established are at various stages of consideration.

On behalf of the clients, our firm will continue to continuously monitor public opinion across all platforms, including but not limited to Sina Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat Official Accounts, Video Accounts, Douban, Baidu, Toutiao, Kuaishou, Baidu Tieba, and others, for the purpose of ongoing monitoring and evidence collection regarding unlawful actions by relevant parties to protect the clients' legal rights and interests.

Citizens' rights to reputation and privacy are equally protected by law, and cyberspace is not a lawless zone. We urge all internet users to carefully evaluate online information, express their views rationally, not believe or spread rumors, consciously resist cyberbullying, curb negative trends online, and jointly create a clean and healthy internet environment.

Zhejiang Lingyun Xihe Law Firm
August 27, 2026»

Interestingly, Xiao Zhan's studio has not, for now, crossed an imaginary line and is not (yet) monitoring similar posts on X, Telegram, YouTube, and other international social media. Thus, they are leaving international ARMY alone and not fanning the flames of a truly global war of fandoms.

Xiao Zhan

Jin

No official statements have been made (so far) by BTS, Jin, HYBE, or the global ARMY fandom. All reactions online have come exclusively from fan communities, which are generally trying to distance themselves from the events and often label the user who published the data a «provocateur.»

As of now, the situation stands as follows. «Xiǎo Fēi Xiá» have taken up battle positions and are methodically posting about the illegality of publishing personal data, that a crime has been committed against the artist, and that privacy must be protected. There are many posts, especially since even ordinary uninvolved people understand the wrongfulness of doxxing. Posts are also being written on Gucci's social media accounts, forcing the company to pay attention to the behavior of Jin's fandom. And there is so much activity that even ARMY themselves — leaders in mass posting — are surprised.

And it seems the domestic Chinese fandom is defeating the global one.

We hope that the user who leaked the personal data will face punishment, and that the fandoms will return to peaceful positions, because it is absolutely not right to quarrel over advertising contracts of one's beloved idols. As they say, may God grant them all more advertising and audience love.

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