Netizen Voices: Doubts Over Xi Fan Club Weiber

Zhang Hongming, the man behind the Learn from Xi Fan Club.

Does incoming President Xi Jinping have a stalker? After months of anonymous posts, the blogger behind the “Learn from Xi Fan Club” Weibo account (@学习粉丝团) revealed himself in an interview with the Associated Press earlier today. Followed by over 825,000 people, the account is filled with photos of Xi traveling the country. Zhang Hongming, a migrant worker from Sichuan Province, told the AP he wanted to end speculation about his identity. He even posted a photo of himself on Weibo, tucked under the covers to fight the cold. Zhang left this final message to his readers:

@xuexifensituan: Farewell. I came with joy, I leave in sorrow. Tears are all I can give, torment is all I can keep. Despite my suffering, I must persevere a while longer. Thank you to all my disciples and fans. Perhaps our countrymen aren’t ready for us. I am full of self-reproach and regret. If you share my interests, send me a private message: 605789327 I’m at: http://t.cn/zjt8hzC (February 11 15:27)

@学习粉丝团:再见,那天我开心的来了,今天我深怀的走了。挥之不去的是泪水,留下孤独的是煎熬。哭了,痛了,也要坚强一回。谢谢各位同门粉丝,也许国民现 有认知容不下我们,我很自责和遗憾。有共同爱好加私扣605789327我在:http://t.cn/zjt8hzC

Far from satisfied, weibers suspect Zhang is actually a propaganda worker. Chen Tong, chief editor at Sina Weibo, quipped:

@laochen: No matter what, the masses will still believe you are from [Xi’s] office…  Why don’t you just admit it 🙂

@老沉:广大群众死活不愿相信你不是办里的。。。实在不行就承认吧

Other netizens were less delicate:

@dandanteng: Don’t you think you’re being melodramatic? F**k!

@淡但疼:我能很贱的说,什么泪水之类的,能不用这么煽情么?F***

@xuhan-Han: Aren’t you one person? How did you become “us”?

@徐晗-Han:不是一个人吗?怎么又成我们了?

The Learn from Xi Fan Club has accounts on multiple microblogging platforms. This photo appeared on Sohu Weibo.

@tengjunyouyou: Don’t you sneak out without answering these questions: 1. How did you get to know the travel schedule of the national leader? 2. Where did you get these close-ups?

@藤逡悠悠:这几件事你没做解释就想溜?1、国家领导人的行程你是如何得知?2、领导人的近距离照片你是如何获得的?…

@thistle2012: A thousand words, a million places, and one guy for hire–how could you get all those close-ups?

@蓟草2012: 说一千道一万,他一个打工者,能从那么近的距离拍图片吗?

Zhang has apparently posted from multiple cell phones:

@internetlaughs: Get out of my face! Where did all those close-ups come from? How can such a loser have so many different cell phones? Or are you switching cell phones constantly to post?

@笑看网世:滚犊子吧!那些近景照片哪里来的?你一屌丝手机N部?不停换手机发微博?

Zhang’s cellphone showed that he posted his last message from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, but one netizen noticed something fishy about his location:

@dongzhenwuxin: Why is your private messenger number from Hong Kong?

@东真无信:私扣地址为什么在香港?

@bluemtnBaiSuzhen: You can’t cook up any more lies? You fix it by walking away?

@青城山白素贞:谎言已经编不下去了?决定一走了之?

@boxind: I seriously doubt your identity…

@蓝色百姓:我很是怀疑你的身份…

@yeheshang: Our countrymen aren’t ready? Could you be more of a poser? Our countrymen are ready to believe in a system [that works]. You’re just ready to wait for a “good emperor.”

@那个野和尚:国民现有认知??能再装逼点吗?国民的认知是相信制度,你的认知是期待明君

@qiuzhiyunei: Cool it with the dramatics. Hey twerp, let me ask you, there’s this netizen who just wrote a measly little weibo. Why did she get picked up by the police?

@求之于内:小编少特么在那煽情了。问问那孙子,有个网友只是在丫微博发了个评论,为什么立马就被警察抓进去了。

This may be a reference to Cheng Aihua, who was detained by the police on February 8 after posting on the Tencent Weibo Learn from Xi Fan Club account, as reported by Yaxue Cao at Seeing Red in China. Cheng has since been released.

@renliantao: Go then. This was nothing but a farce.

@任连涛:走吧,一场闹剧而已。

@xiaxiaoxxx: I’ll believe you when I see you on News Simulcast.

@夏小xxx:只能在新闻联播里相信你

Read more comments at CDT Chinese.

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