OBSESSIVE POP FANS STRIKE DISCORDANT NOTE

Amy, 23, is an ardent fan of Chinese pop star Cai Xukun, who has more than 35 million fans on Sina Weibo.

She has followed news about 22-year-old Cai since he appeared on the popular talent show Idol Producer, broadcast by the online streaming service iQiyi early in 2018.

In April that year, the show saw the emergence of new boy band Nine Percent, which comprises nine winners from Idol Producer, including Cai, who finished in first place with more than 47 million votes.

In winter 2018, Nine Percent released its debut album To the Nines and gave a live performance at M Space, a popular music venue in Beijing. Amy, like many of the group's fans, booked into a hotel near the venue the day before the show, trying to get a glimpse of her idol.

As she had failed to get a ticket for the show, she waited more than five hours outside the venue, hoping to obtain one at the last minute.

"It was cold outside, but I didn't want to give up," said the young woman, who at the time was a university student in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where she now works and lives.

"I was lucky enough to buy a ticket, but it was very expensive. When I finally saw my idol, I cried," she said. Amy didn't say how much the ticket cost－only that it was the equivalent of the three-month allowance from her parents.

Amy continues to buy Cai's albums, follows reality shows on which he appears and shares news about him on Sina Weibo and WeChat. She has also joined a Cai fan club, receiving the latest information about Cai and taking part in activities to support him.

However, she keeps these activities secret by using fake names on her social media accounts and blocking those close to her from her posts. Amy, who uses an assumed name to protect her privacy, said hardly anyone in her close circle－family members, colleagues and friends－knows of her love for Cai.

"Initially, I didn't hide the fact that I was a fan of his, and I used to upload photos of him on my social media platforms. But one day, my mother looked anxious and told me, 'You are old enough now and should hang out with your friends or have a real boyfriend, instead of chasing after pop stars, which is a total waste of time'," Amy said.

What made her even more depressed was that many of her friends appeared to feel the same way. When they discussed pop stars' fans, Amy could tell through the tone of their voices and their facial expressions that they had negative views of fan quan, or fan group culture.

"After that, I decided to keep my activities secret to avoid trouble," she said.

Fan quan, which also translates as "fan circle", is a concept that emerged in South Korea, with that country's pop stars and supporters playing a huge role in taking K-pop to a broader audience.

Fans gather in groups to meet and share information about their idols and they also spend considerable amounts to support them, such as buying expensive gifts and paying to vote to increase stars' popularity. The fans' activities have played a key role in driving the entertainment industry, but have also triggered controversy.

Milk incident

Fans made headlines when a video went viral over the five-day May Day holiday. The footage showed a group of people opening bottles of milk, pouring the contents into buckets, and dumping the buckets into a drainage ditch.

The fans only wanted the bottle caps, which had a QR code printed on the inside. Each code represented a vote. By scanning the code, fans were able to vote for contestants on Youth With You Season 3, one of the country's most-viewed reality shows, which is produced by iQiyi. The show's main sponsor is the company that produces the milk.

Since mid-February, when voting began, the 120 contestants have been narrowed down to just 20 after several rounds. After the final, the top nine will form their own boy or girl band. Voting by fans is the sole standard used to decide standout performers likely to achieve stardom.

Footage of the video quickly triggered widespread controversy online. Comments appeared on leading social media platforms about the "milk-pouring" incident. The fans were criticized for wasting vast quantities of milk, and their behavior sparked action by the authorities.

On May 10, the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau issued a notification aimed at strengthening the regulation and supervision of online reality shows.

"The reality shows are prohibited from getting votes through inappropriate ways, such as raising money and group funding," the notification stated.

Meanwhile, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, the country's top internet watchdog, pledged to make greater efforts to guide young people in following celebrities by further regulating online platforms. At a news conference on May 8, it launched the "Clear and Bright" campaign, aimed at controlling illegal online behavior, such as disorder relating to the entertainment sector and irrational behavior by fan groups.

Zhang Yongjun, head of CAC's network comprehensive management division, told the media on May 9: "We've made the control of online star-chasing behavior a priority this year. We plan to resolutely fight against those who encourage young people to follow stars irrationally, and harshly punish online platforms that indulge such behavior."

Concern about voting rules was also voiced by Zhang, who said the problem was not solely due to the uncontrolled pursuit of stars by fans, but also complicity by internet platforms and bad behavior by businesses.

"There's nothing wrong with young people chasing stars, but the pursuit of them without a bottom line is a problem. Online platforms that indulge such irregularities and refuse to mend their ways despite repeated criticism will face tougher punishments," Zhang said.

On May 11, more than 200 Chinese fan clubs released statements backing action taken by fans in support of their pop idols.

Even before the milk-dumping incident, there were reports of fans following their idols day and night, invading their privacy and causing inconvenience to others.

For example, some fans bought air tickets just to see a star take one particular flight. They blocked the boarding gate, delaying the plane for several hours. Some fans have also shoved their phones in stars' faces. Pushing and even injuries have been reported.

When a singer sparks controversy, some fans blindly defend their hero in cyberspace, frequently leading to online bullying of anyone daring to voice negative opinions about the star.

Fans are also highly organized and willing to spend to support their idols.

For example, the debut album of Teens in Times, a seven-member boy band founded in 2019, netted more than 100 million yuan (15.66 million) within five days of being released on May 5.

On May 15, Xinhua News Agency reported that a group funding website showed that fans had spent a large amount on voting for their idols who appeared on Chuang 2021, a talent show produced by Tencent Video.

One of the contestants, Liu Yu, 21, stood out among his peers and finished in first place. The website showed that more than 23 million yuan was raised to vote for Liu, who received nearly 50 million ballots.

Fans defend themselves by stating, "When a man devotes his passion, time and money to a car or other expensive items, he is usually free of criticism". They also say that incidents involving obsessive fans are often highlighted more than those about other followers who have joined forces for a good cause.

For example, early last year, after the pandemic emerged, some Chinese fan groups teamed up to raise funds to obtain surgical masks, protective clothing and other vital supplies to donate to medical professionals. They also launched charity foundations in the name of their idols to help people in need－for example, by donating books and sports facilities to schools in remote areas.

Li Jiajie, a 22-year-old singer, described her experience of being a "fan circle girl".

"Sometimes it's frustrating to face reality. My idol acts as my engine to work hard and pursue my dream, although he is far from me," said Li, who has taken part in talent shows and launched her career by being a member of the female group Lady Bees.

"I share my love for my idol with many other girls, and the fan club is like a utopia for us. It's a place where I share my life with my friends and we support our idol as a community, which is very satisfying and fulfilling," she added.

Significant impact

An article about fans' mentality, posted on the question-and-answer website Zhihu by Beijing Normal University's psychology department, states, "Since fans form bonds in their mind with idols, they are able to fantasize that they have the celebrity's characteristics and can feel better about themselves.

"Teenagers, especially girls, tend to worship pop stars, who they see as good-looking, talented and hardworking. They find satisfaction, companionship, engagement and confidence by participating in activities related to their idols."

The global rise of K-pop in the past two decades has had a significant impact on the younger generation in China. In recent years, the country's entertainment industry has also witnessed exceptional growth in the number of young potential idols, known as trainees, who are mostly teenagers and receive professional training in singing and dancing to become pop idols.

There are also a rapidly growing number of competitive online reality shows, which produce solo pop stars and boy or girl groups.

The growth of the entertainment industry and these reality shows have produced a booming "fan circle" sub-culture.

Sun Jiashan, a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, said the sub-culture has changed drastically on the Chinese mainland. During the 1980s and 1990s, pop stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan dominated the entertainment market. Fans expressed their love for their favorite stars by going to their concerts, fan-meeting events and collecting products related to their idols.

Now, with the growing impact of social media platforms, stars share their lives and fans take part in and contribute to their idols' work, from the early days of training to the start of their careers.

"Pop idols and their fans are now closer than before, because of social media platforms. However, some bad behavior by fans and misconduct by entertainment companies have brought chaos to the market, which needs to be regulated," Sun said.