Han vs. Fang: Duel of words

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Editor's note

The duel of words has escalated into a battle in court between a bestselling author and a wildly popular blogger known for exposing academic frauds.

Han Han, the 29-year-old best-selling novelist and one of Time Magazine's "100 most influential people" in 2010, submitted a bill of complaint to the court on Tuesday, his publisher said. Han is suing blogger Fang Zhouzi for libel because Fang claimed Han's works may be ghostwritten. The clash began when a popular blogger, Mai Tian, claimed Han's works might have been written by his publisher, Lu Jinbo, and said there is a team of ghostwriters behind Han. (More)

Who's who

Han Han is a 29-year-old novelist,famous for his rebellious stance and sharp commentaries. He was named one of Time Magazine's "100 most influential people" in 2010. (More)

Fang Zhouzi is a biological chemist known for his fight against corruption and pseudoscience in scientific, media and education circles in China. (More)

What do they say ?

Fang Zhouzi (blogger)

"I had never read Han Han's works before. In my opinion, he's just another star in the entertainment industry. I didn't have the patience to read Mai Tian's articles either," Fang said, "until Han swore about his credibility, attacked Mai in his blog, and offered 20 million yuan to whoever can prove Mai's accusation is correct. Only an exasperated person in desperation would act this way."

Han Han (writer)

"He concluded that I had someone else write on my behalf. For a writer, such an accusation is the most serious of all kinds. He is questioning my integrity and moral quality."

Lu Jinbo (publisher)

"Both Han and Fang have a large number of fans who love them, and a large number of people who dislike them. And it's not breakthrough events that have clear lines between the black and the white."

Timeline

Jan. 15 A blogger named "Maitian" disputed the originality of Han Han's works, accusing the post-80s author of hiring people to write for him.

Jan. 16 Han responded furiously to the accusation on his blog, and offered a cash reward of 20 million yuan, or more than US$3 million, to those who can prove the articles were written by others.

Jan. 16 Han's father Han Renjun asserted in his blog that his son's writing style was unique and hard to emulate.

Jan. 18 "Maitian" apologized to Han, admitting he didn't have sufficient evidence.

Jan. 18 – 30 Fang Zhouzi posted a series of articles on his microblog accusing Han of asking his father to write articles for him in the past.

Jan. 29 Han entrusted a lawyer to bring legal proceedings against Fang, seeking 100,000 yuan (US$15,826) in compensation.

Latest news

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Opinion