Does the public accept it, does history accept it
On the last day of 2020, news suddenly came one after another: Guo Jingming and Yu Zheng apologized.
At zero hour on December 31, 2020, Guo Jingming apologized on Weibo for plagiarizing Zhuang Yu’s work “Outside the Circle” from his novel “Dreams of Flowers” and said he would pay all the copyright revenue from “Dreams of Flowers” to Ms. Zhuang Yu, “If Ms. Zhuang Yu is not willing to accept it, I will donate the money to a public charity”.
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Guo Jingming issued an apology microblog. Photo/screenshot from Weibo
About ten hours later, Yu Zheng also issued an apology microblog, saying that he sincerely apologized to Ms. Qiong Yao for the infringement of the copyright of “Gonglock Liancheng” on “Plum Blossom Brand”.
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Yu Zheng issued an apology microblog. Photo/screenshot of Weibo
“This apology comes only now, not because I am unwilling to admit my mistake, but because I lack sufficient courage.” In the microblog, Yu Zheng wrote.
Boycott
The plagiarism case between Yu Zheng and Guo Jingming has long been a topic of public discussion; on May 22, 2006, the Beijing High People’s Court issued a final judgment finding that Guo Jingming’s book “Dreams of Flowers” constituted plagiarism of Zhuang Yu’s “Outside the Circle” as a whole, ruling that Guo Jingming should compensate Zhuang Yu with 200,000 yuan and publicly apologize in the China Youth Daily or publish the judgment directly in the newspaper.
In 2014, Qiong Yao v. Yu Zheng “Gonglock Liancheng” plagiarized “Plum Blossom Brand”. In this rights lawsuit, 139 screenwriters and producers in the industry had also jointly denounced Yu Zheng, and the court supported Qiong Yao’s claim. However, the two defendants responded in the same way: by paying money, but refusing to carry out the apology.
The long-overdue apology is not unrelated to the boycott by more than 100 film and TV professionals not long ago.
On December 21, screenwriters Yu Fei and Song Fangjin released a joint open letter from 111 screenwriters, directors, producers and writers on Weibo. The open letter said that recently, in some network platforms, TV variety shows, there are repeatedly plagiarized writers and directors (Yu Zheng, Guo Jingming), appearing as program instructors and guests, in the program inside and outside the topic of speculation, in order to chase clicks, ratings, eyeballs. The media platforms are called upon to “promote the righteousness of the times, publicize artists with high moral and artistic integrity, actively reject these unrepentant creators with bad records, and not provide a stage for plagiarists and plagiarists. They should be expelled from the public media”.
The list of signatories included Qiong Yao, Shuang Huan, Wang Hailin, Bai Yicong, Gao Qunshu and other well-known film and television practitioners. The next day, on the evening of Dec. 22, screenwriter Song Fangjin posted on Weibo a second list of signatories for the “Film and TV practitioners’ boycott of Yu Zheng Guo Jingming.
But for the boycott to achieve the effect, the co-signers said they do not hold much hope, more just a statement. In an earlier interview with China Newsweek, screenwriters Liu Yi and Wang Hailin said that the joint statement was more of an attitude, and whether it would have an impact on them was beyond their concern and control.
“The matter from beginning to end, not for the two of them, but for a certain industry culture and even social climate. Whether it has an impact on the two of them or not is not really something we care about. We believe that we should raise our voice against bad social phenomena and be able to let more people hear this voice, and that would have served our purpose.” Liu Yi concluded to China Newsweek.
But this civil boycott soon drew official attention. on Dec. 23, Xinhua interviewed the four core initiators and participants of the open letter about the boycott, and reported in depth on it.
On December 24, Xinhua News Agency continued to ask: Who is providing the stage for “bad artists” to make their debut? How to curb the undesirable practice of capital using “bad traits” as a selling point? What are the responsibilities of capital and certain media that try to whitewash “bad artists”?
On December 25, the People’s Daily Overseas Edition’s microblogging site “Chivalry Island” published an article titled “How can plagiarists in film and television become role models”, in which it clearly criticized Forzheng and Guo Jingming: “The core of literary and artistic works is originality, and the quality of works is a matter of ability, but plagiarism is a red line that must not be touched”; “It is not terrible to make mistakes in the past, what is terrible is to refuse to admit your mistakes, or even to be emboldened to continue to do so”.
Response
In today’s apology, Guo Jingming said he refused to apologize before because of “youthful and frivolous vanity and resistance”. Now, in the face of the damage it caused to Zhuang Yu, in the face of “all the readers and partners who supported me and believed in me that I let down”, he owes everyone an apology.
“Ms. Zhuang Yu, I solemnly apologize for the harm I have caused you, and I am very sorry. I also want to apologize to the public, to all original writers, and to China’s hard-won creative environment. I’m sorry for being a very bad example, please take me as a warning, refuse to plagiarize and respect creativity.” In the microblog, Guo Jingming wrote in a sincere tone.
At the same time, Guo Jingming also proposed further compensation measures, saying that he would compensate Zhuang Yu for all the royalties obtained online and offline after the publication of the novel “Dreams of Flowers” as well as a summary of all the proceeds. If Zhuang Yu is not willing to accept, then “will donate this money to public charity”.
31 morning, screenwriter, writer Zhuang Yu on microblogging to make a public response to this, the response said, after fifteen years, received Guo Jingming’s apology, which is indeed a belated apology, accept Guo Jingming apology.
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Zhuang Yu made a response on Weibo. Photo/blog screenshot
The company has also pointed out that it has a new proposal to compensate Guo Jingming for all the proceeds she received after the publication of the novel “Dreams of flowers fall”.
Guo Jingming then replied to Zhuang Yu, saying that he appreciated Ms. Zhuang Yu’s generosity and kindness. Once again, he said he was sorry for his mistake. “We will follow your proposal and set up a fund together in the hope that we can create a better environment for creators to be original. Thanks again.”
On Guo Jingming’s apology, Wang Hailin, one of the initiators of the joint letter, said publicly that the apology should of course be welcomed, but the community should also reflect on the fact that mistakes should not be condoned. They are personal problems, some institutions in the industry some people blurred right and wrong, the platform, capital profit-oriented no bottom line, the formation of not apologize for more than a decade as usual call the situation, such a large environment small environment is more saddening. “I do not say what know wrong can change the good is great words, I have to say is, first of all, whether Zhuang Yu accept, and then whether the public accept, and finally whether history accept.”
Just ten hours after Guo Jingming’s apology, as with the former, Yu Zheng also dissected his own journey of refusing to apologize back then. “These six years I am not smooth sailing in everyone’s eyes, life, career have to start from zero, under great pressure, in addition to the compensation to you, I also face a series of platform, investors and other compensation, which is the best punishment for me, but also a general lesson in blood.” In the microblog, Yu Zheng wrote.
In addition to the apology, Yu Zheng also published another short microblog, saying that from today he will leave “I am an actor 3” and dive back into creation.
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In the afternoon of the same day, Qiong Yao said in an interview with the media that she had seen Yu Zheng’s microblogging and hoped he would know his mistake and change. And according to related sources, Qiong Yao herself is currently in a good mood.
For the two apologies, in addition to expressing relief, there are also many questionable voices in the community. There is no shortage of people who believe that the reason why they have rushed to apologize on the last day of 2020 is not out of sincerity, but out of their own interests: they are closely intertwined with the interests of the platform and have a huge business map. Guo Jingming’s “Qing Ya Ji” is currently in theaters, and Yu Zheng has a number of heavyweight dramas in his hands, such as “The Children of Tang”, “Pawnshop” and “Jade House Spring”. If the boycott fiasco leads to a greater follow-up impact, it will not be worth the loss. The apology at the end of the year will undoubtedly minimize the negative impact.
“Apology will affect the earning money, not apologize today will affect the earning money, it is as simple as that, are the accounts.” Some netizens commented as such.
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