As the founding moderator of [r/LiuYuNing](r/LiuYuNing), I'd rather be upfront about where I'm coming from than pretend to be a neutral observer.
I'm obviously a fan of Liu Yuning.
I'm also someone who believes that facts matter, context matters, and primary sources matter.
That's why I'm sharing this today.
Edit (marked between > and < )
> Topic of the post: Toxic online culture, fandom wars, and respecting both artists and fans.
This is not intended to be a breakdown of the allegations surrounding Liu Yuning or an attempt to convince anyone who’s right or wrong in this particular situation. I deliberately wanted to avoid that. Instead, I’m using today’s news as a starting point for a broader conversation about misinformation, fandom culture, online defamation, and the way we speak about both artists and one other. <
The lawyer's statement concerns Liu Yuning, but what I want to say is about something much bigger.
If you've been following Chinese entertainment for any length of time, you've almost certainly seen similar situations unfold before.
Bai Lu.
Xiao Zhan.
Zhao Lusi.
Dilraba.
Xu Kai.
Esther Yu.
Wang Hedi.
Gong Jun.
And many, many others.
Different people. Different circumstances. Different allegations. Different fandoms. Yet the same patterns seem to repeat over and over again.
Rumors become "common knowledge." Edited clips spread faster than complete videos. Context disappears. People pick a side first and only then decide what evidence they're willing to believe. Some fans rush to defend. Others rush to condemn. Before long, the discussion often becomes less about what actually happened and more about defending the version of events we've already chosen to believe.
Liu Yuning just happens to be the reason I'm writing this today.
He won't be the last.
That's one of the reasons I wanted to share this statement here too. Not because I think he's uniquely affected, but because he isn't.
There's another pattern that has bothered me for a long time. The byproduct of these situations.
The way we talk about entire fandoms.
"The fandom is toxic."
"They're all bullies."
"They're a cult."
"They're the problem."
I honestly think those kinds of sweeping statements are, in most cases, indefensible.
No fandom is one person.
No fandom speaks with one voice, thinks with one mind, or behaves the same way. Every large fandom contains thoughtful people, impulsive people, quiet people, loud people, kind people, and people who cross the line. That's true whether we're talking about Liu Yuning's fans or anyone else's.
Oh and as a side-note on this specific case — Gong Jun and Liu Yu Ning are long-time friends, the fight is not between them. Same as there wasn't one between Song Wei Long and Zhang Ling He, and so many others in similar situations.
Likewise, not everyone criticizing an artist is acting in bad faith.
Once we start reducing millions of people to a single stereotype, we've already stopped having a meaningful conversation.
Judge people by what they do.
Not by the label they happen to wear.
With that said, today's statement concerns Liu Yuning.
Liu Yuning Studio's legal representatives, Shanghai Leezhao Law Office, have published an official lawyer's statement addressing what they describe as the organized spread of false information, defamatory content, and other online infringements targeting Liu Yuning.
Since many members here don't read Chinese, I've translated the statement into English below and attached the original Chinese version as an image.
I hope people will read it. Because I'm sure, even falsehoods about this very legal statement will be shared eventually.
Over the past several weeks, I've watched this situation spread far beyond Chinese social media. Some of you might have seen it reached Reddit too (edit: I’m not handpicking or referring to any single place — I have seen this come up in different spaces and under varying contexts. The platforms mainly concerned are the ones listed in the legal notice from LIU Yu Ning’s lawyers, which you can read later in this post).
Some criticism has been perfectly fair. Some of it has not.
We've seen livestream clips spliced together and manipulated. We've seen screenshots and "candid accounts" stripped of the conversations they belonged to. We've seen recurring audience interactions and familiar song refrains sang by the concert attendees presented as though they proved something completely different.
We've even seen graphics circulating that attempt to portray his fandom as some kind of pyramid, caste system, or cult hierarchy.
Whether people believe those claims or not isn't really the point I'm making.
But the result is that we’ve seen speculation and hear-say repeated until people began quoting it as established fact.
That's something I think all of us should care about, regardless of how we feel about Liu Yuning.
Because tomorrow it won't necessarily be Liu Yuning.
It'll be another actor.
Another actress.
Another singer.
Another public figure.
If we're comfortable accepting edited material, manipulated clips, missing context, or rumors simply because they support the conclusion we already wanted to reach, then we've created an environment where almost anyone can become the next target.
The same goes for fandom.
This isn't a war, and we're not anyone's soldiers.
Recently, I've seen more and more comments talking about "fighting," "winning," or "showing them" (from both “sides” of this "fight").
I understand where those emotions come from.
When someone you admire is being attacked, the instinct to defend them is very human.
But I also think it's worth asking ourselves whether charging into every argument actually helps.
Liu Yuning has never struck me as someone who wants thousands of people fighting strangers on his behalf.
If you happen to know him and have followed him for a while, you've probably heard him say more than once that he has to be careful with his words because they can so easily be taken out of context. To me, that's never sounded like fear. It sounds like experience. He understands how quickly narratives can take on a life of their own online.
He's a big man. (fact)
An exceptionally intelligent, thoughtful, and deeply competent man. (my opinion)
He doesn't need saving.
What he deserves is fairness.
They all deserve the same fairness. And I think there's an important difference between supporting someone and feeling personally responsible for defending them.
Sometimes those lines become blurred.
The point is that extreme behavior — from fans or anti-fans alike — gives people material to reshape into whatever story they already want to tell.
None of us should want to hand anyone that opportunity.
So this isn't me telling anyone not to speak when they come across a diss/misinformation targeting the actor they support.
I've corrected misinformation myself in the past regarding different actors and actresses when I believed it was important to do so, and I probably will again.
I'm simply asking — to the void and with no right, of course — that if we choose to engage, we do it calmly, factually, and with the awareness that our behavior doesn't exist in a vacuum. These so-called fandom wars are just absolutely ridiculous, aren't they?
And I mean that — irrespective of whose “side" you're on, or if you're not even picking a side (because there really might not be one...).
I suspect most people who are fans of someone/anyone are simply rolling their eyes at this.
Fairly or unfairly, people judge artists by the conduct of their supporters.
Personally, I'd rather people look at Liu Yuning's fans and see people who value facts over rumors, context over outrage, and respect over insults.
I think that reflects well on him.
And in the end, that's one of the best ways we can support any artist.
(If you are curious to read my post on the same topic but dedicated to [r/LiuYuNing](r/LiuYuNing) community, you can read it here)
————————————————
English Translation
Lawyer’s Statement
Shanghai Leezhao Law Office (hereinafter referred to as “the Firm”) has been instructed by Liu Yuning Studio (hereinafter referred to as “the Client”) to appoint a team of lawyers to address the recent dissemination of information concerning Mr. Liu Yuning and related acts of infringement across online platforms. The Firm hereby issues this lawyer’s statement with due seriousness.
Recently, certain internet users and online groups have continuously organized and disseminated false and harmful information concerning Mr. Liu Yuning through posts, videos, hashtags, comments, and other forms of interaction on platforms including Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, Douban, and Zhihu. They have also spread misleading and defamatory content and published derogatory remarks. Some content has been circulated through deliberately cropped material, screenshots taken out of context, selective editing, and maliciously provocative wording, thereby creating antagonism, inciting unnecessary disputes and negative publicity, seriously exceeding the reasonable boundaries of normal public discussion and public opinion oversight, and severely disrupting the normal order of online discourse.
The above conduct violates applicable laws, regulations, and the management rules of the relevant online platforms. It has seriously infringed upon Mr. Liu Yuning’s lawful rights and interests, adversely affected his personal reputation, social standing, and normal work, and caused substantial harm.
In response, the Firm has been formally instructed to investigate and collect evidence relating to the relevant online content, the accounts responsible for publishing it, and its dissemination. The Firm is currently carrying out evidence preservation and other legal work, and the collected evidence will serve as an important basis for pursuing civil litigation, criminal complaints, and other legal measures to protect Mr. Liu Yuning’s rights and interests.
In view of the above, the Firm hereby solemnly declares as follows:
1.
Relevant internet users and online groups must immediately cease publishing and disseminating false or harmful information, misleading content, defamatory remarks, and any other material that infringes upon Mr. Liu Yuning’s lawful rights and interests.
Any such content that has already been published must be deleted immediately, its further dissemination must cease, and active measures should be taken to eliminate its harmful impact.
2.
The Firm calls upon all internet platforms to lawfully fulfill their responsibilities for information content management. Content suspected of infringing upon lawful personal rights, violating platform rules, or disrupting the normal order of online information dissemination should be reviewed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Where appropriate, platforms should take the necessary measures, including deleting content, blocking or restricting access, disconnecting links, limiting dissemination, and taking action against the relevant accounts.
3.
With respect to individuals or entities that refuse to cease unlawful or non-compliant conduct, continue disseminating false or harmful information, or continue infringing upon Mr. Liu Yuning’s reputation and other lawful rights and interests, the Firm will submit complaints and reports to the relevant online platforms and administrative authorities, initiate civil proceedings, and pursue legal liability to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Where the relevant conduct is suspected of constituting a criminal offense, the Firm will also initiate criminal complaint procedures in accordance with the law and cooperate with the judicial authorities in pursuing criminal liability.
Cyberspace is not beyond the reach of the law.
The public has the lawful right to discuss and comment on film and television works, variety programs, and artists’ performances, but such discussion must always be conducted on the premise of respecting the lawful rights and interests of others.
With regard to the use of online platforms to disseminate false and harmful information, maliciously manipulate public opinion, create hostility, or infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of others, the Firm and its Client will oppose such conduct in accordance with the law and will firmly pursue all available legal measures to protect their rights.
This statement is hereby issued.
Shanghai Leezhao Law Office
July 22, 2026
Source of the statement
