After being continuously reported as a “bad artist”, a well-known singer responded

“The reports that I am a bad artist and a fraudulent donation are all based on nothing.” Zhu Zhiwen, the well-known singer “Big Yi Brother” told China News Weekly that since August this year, intensive reports against him have appeared intensively. This round of reports has caused him to cancel about fifteen performances, some of which were stopped in advance, and some of which were temporarily canceled until he was ready to set off or even arrived at the scene.

Zhu Zhiwen said that the relevant reporter not only complained to the relevant departments, but also posted his performance information and contact numbers of cultural tourism departments, public security agencies, scenic spots, performance organizers and other units online, calling on others to call and report. At present, he has reported the case to the local public security agency and is preparing to protect his rights through legal channels.

From cyber attacks to centralized reporting

In 2011, the song “Rolling Waters of the Yangtze River East” brought Zhu Zhiwen into the public eye. After stepping onto the stage from rural Heze, Shandong, his life has also been placed in the spotlight. Popularity brought performance opportunities and publicity, but also brought years of harassment and assault.

In April 2020, the door of Zhu Zhiwen’s home was kicked open. The Shanxian County Public Security Bureau reported that two people suspected of provoking quarrels and causing trouble were administratively detained for ten days in accordance with the law.

In November 2025, Zhu Zhiwen’s criminal private prosecution case of insult and defamation against an online bully was pronounced. According to media reports, the verdict shows that since April 17, 2020, the defendant has continued to publish hundreds of videos containing insulting and slanderous content on a video platform, of which 29 have been played more than 5,000 times, and one has been played more than 210,000 times. The defendant was finally convicted and sentenced to six months in prison.

Compared with previous cyber attacks, Zhu Zhiwen believes that this year’s concentrated reporting involves more people and “is organized.” According to what he learned from friends and fans, relevant personnel have established four online groups, each with hundreds of people. The main informants are from Zhejiang, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi and other places, and some people constantly change their online nicknames.

“I listened to the recordings of reports posted online, and I could recognize several voices.” Zhu Zhiwen suspected that some of the reporters were related to people who had previously attacked him on the Internet. However, he said that he had never had personal contact with these people, nor did he know them personally, and he did not know why he continued to be reported.

Zhu Zhiwen also mentioned that one of the reporters this time had been sued by him for similar behavior before. In 2023, after out-of-court mediation between the two parties, the other party issued a letter of commitment promising not to attack Zhu Zhiwen again.

A letter of commitment provided by Zhu Zhiwen to China News Weekly shows that in July 2023, the promisee promised not to publish false information about Zhu Zhiwen on the Internet or infringe on his reputation from the date of signing. The letter of commitment contains the name and ID number of the person making the commitment, and is signed by his or her name at the end.

展開全文

Zhu Zhiwen said that he did not pursue the case at that time, but later the person began to attack him again, “and now even denies that he wrote the commitment letter.”

Already reported to the police

China News Weekly’s search on social platforms found that some videos called Zhu Zhiwen a “bad artist” and accused him of “fraudulent donations” and “tax evasion”; some video publishers continued to publish negative content against Zhu Zhiwen and called on other netizens to report it. At the same time, some netizens publicly supported Zhu Zhiwen and believed that reporting interference with normal performances should not be condoned.

Regarding the relevant statements on the Internet, Zhu Zhiwen said that these accusations lack factual basis. Regarding “fraudulent donations,” Zhu Zhiwen explained that news that he had donated 3 million yuan and 3.5 million yuan first circulated on the Internet. Later, someone verified this with the relevant departments and accused him of “fraudulent donations” on the grounds that the relevant departments did not receive the corresponding donations. Zhu Zhiwen emphasized that the amount of these donations was not announced by him.

Rumors about tax payments have also prompted checks. In March 2025, some media sought confirmation from the tax department of Heze City, his hometown in Shandong Province, regarding an online rumor that Zhu Zhiwen had paid a tax of 118 million yuan in 2025. Relevant staff stated that the tax department has never released this data; staff from the Shanxian County Taxation Bureau said that the relevant information should be false information.

In the face of continued reports, Zhu Zhiwen is prepared to protect his rights through legal channels. His legal advisor, Yang Anming, director of Beijing Zhongding Law Firm, told China News Weekly that Zhu Zhiwen had recently reported the case at the Guocun Town Police Station in his hometown of Shan County and completed the transcript. The public security agency has accepted the case, and the two parties will further discuss follow-up rights protection plans in the near future.

Regarding how to define the nature of reporting behavior, Yang Anming said that to distinguish between normal reporting and malicious reporting, three aspects need to be examined: whether there is a real factual basis, the subjective purpose of the reporter, and whether the behavior crosses the line. If the whistleblower fabricates facts to suppress others, complains repeatedly and in batches, or even organizes multiple people to report together, causing others to cancel performances, hinder cooperation, or suffer economic losses, the nature of their behavior needs to be further examined.

Yang Anming pointed out that if a malicious report constitutes an infringement of reputation rights, the victim can demand an apology and compensation for losses through civil litigation; if it meets the relevant provisions of public security management penalties, he may bear administrative liability; if the constituent elements of the corresponding crime are met, it may also involve the crime of provoking trouble, defamation, insult, or false accusation and frame-up.

Regarding this case specifically, Yang Anming said that according to Zhu Zhiwen, a whistleblower had reached an understanding with him before, and then continued to carry out relevant behaviors. If it can be proven that the relevant person continued to engage in insults, rumors, defamation, etc. after the previous dispute was resolved, the results of the previous cases and relevant evidence can be used as a reference for this rights protection. As for whether the relevant behavior constitutes a crime and whether there are severe punishment circumstances, it still needs to be judged based on specific legal provisions and the facts of the case.

Yang Anming said that such cases often have problems such as scattered evidence and difficulty in obtaining evidence. Especially when multiple people are involved, the relevant behavior lasts for a long time, and some of the evidence is in the hands of others, it is more difficult for the victim to collect evidence on his own. Considering that many people are involved in Zhu Zhiwen’s case, and some evidence is difficult to obtain by the parties themselves, they hope to push the case into the public prosecution process, where the relevant authorities will investigate the relevant facts in accordance with the law and decide on the subsequent handling method based on the investigation results.

Rights protection is still progressing, and the impact of the report has affected Zhu Zhiwen’s performance arrangements. “Now, I try not to accept new performances. If the organizer does not withdraw from the previous performances, I will continue to perform as agreed.” Zhu Zhiwen said that the troubles he has encountered have lasted for many years. Now that performances have been canceled one after another, he has begun to consider reducing his work schedule and turning his energy to defending rights.

“The main reason is that I’m tired, and I’m tired from being reported by negative fans. If the show doesn’t work, I’ll go home and farm,” he said.

Reporter: Xie Xuewei

(xiexuewei@chinanews.com)

Related Reading

Related reading

It turns out that she has died long ago! He passed away at his son’s home in the United States after 5 months of retirement, leaving only 26 words of last words.

She went from the Spring Festival Gala to being hospitalized for mental illness. It is really a pity that the “Queen of Sketch” has reached this point.

The latest situation of 61-year-old CCTV celebrity Zhang Zequn is exposed! He once had a son with Hu Jiana, and now he is retired and living alone in Beijing, which is sad.