Accused of finding ghostwriters, Mai Tian apologized while Fang Zhouzi "took over" the spat lasting 11 days. This morning, there was finally a breakthrough.
Han Han plans to sue Fang Zhouzi for damages of 100,000 yuan.
Due to suspicions that Han Han had others write his books for him, Fang Zhouzi launched an online attack on Han Han, sparking an 11-day long online "verbal battle" between the two.
This morning at around 4 am, Lu Jinqi, General Manager of Wanrong Book Industry and Han Han's agent, posted a message on Weibo stating that "Han Han has entrusted a lawyer," regarding the issue of well-known science writer Fang Zhouzi spreading rumors through the internet by "questioning whether Han Han (had someone) ghostwrite for him", causing damage to Han Han's reputation. Today, "a legal lawsuit will be initiated in Shanghai."
Lu Jinqi mentioned that between January 19th and 28th, 2012, Fang Zhouzi continuously published, commented on, and forwarded articles on his Weibo account explicitly pointing out that Han Han's works were "(written by someone else) ghostwritten" and "packaged," which "severely infringed upon Han Han's rights to reputation and property." Han Han will initiate a lawsuit in Shanghai, demanding public correction and apology, as well as compensation for economic losses amounting to 100,000 yuan.
It is claimed that Han Han has collated 1000 pages of handwritten materials from 1997 to 2000, "sufficiently proving that his works are independently created."
Fang Zhouzi: Biochemistry Ph.D., science writer, founder of the monthly journal and website "New Youth," renowned for exposing fraud.
Welcomes the lawsuit and will definitely respond.
When contacted by reporters this morning, Fang Zhouzi stated: "I welcome his lawsuit."
Fang Zhouzi told the reporter that he still believes those articles were not written by Han Han.
Regarding the lawsuit, Fang Zhouzi said it would be handled by his lawyer, and he "will definitely respond."
Fang Zhouzi said: "I believe that if it were in a fair court, I wouldn't lose the case. However, since the lawsuit is in Shanghai, the outcome is uncertain."
Fang Zhouzi's Questions vs. Han Han's Responses
Fang: Why did you deliberately say in a TV interview that you didn't know the meaning of 'Three Levels Door'?
Han: The atmosphere of that TV program was very poor; almost no one had read what I wrote. I have the right not to answer questions from non-readers who just want to make fun of me.
Fang: In "Seeking Medical Help," it is said that during school, he contracted scabies, but the symptoms described in the text do not match reality and resemble more what Han Han's father, who had hepatitis, might have written.
Han: Even if I hadn't had any diseases, I could still write about them as these are all literary works.
Event Recap: On January 15th, Mai Tian published a blog post titled "The Man-Made Han Han," claiming that Han Han's success was the result of being "man-made" and "packaged" by his father, Han Renjun, and publisher Lu Jinqi. It also claimed that Han Han's winning entry in the New Concept Competition was written by his father. The next day, Han Han offered a reward of 20 million yuan to find evidence of a "ghostwriter" or "man-made" claims. On January 19th, both parties reconciled.
Han Han's controversy caught Fang Zhouzi's attention, leading him to publish 11 consecutive blog posts questioning contradictions in Han Han's articles and statements, suspecting that a ghostwriter had written Han Han's pieces.
By reporters Wang Wei and Wang Xiao