Going star crazy:
Impassioned fans of celebrities and pop idols have been cautioned about causing chaos in public spaces.
Impassioned fans of celebrities and pop idols have been cautioned about causing chaos in public spaces
For Wang Yuanyuan, being a big fan of Taiwan pop icon Jay Chou not only means going to his concerts and keeping up with his latest news, but also sleepless nights and starvation.
The 24-year-old can still recall the first time she got close to her idol — four years ago when Chou held a concert in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Wang, along with several other fans, bought the most expensive ticket for the concert and she waited hours in the parking lot, hoping to just get a glimpse of her idol.
“When he finally walked out of the elevator, my heart was beating really fast. There were some other girls running to him, who were stopped by Chou’s bodyguard. I saw him waving to us and I cried,” recalls Wang, who was born and lives in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
One of the girls told Wang that Chou would leave Nanjing the next morning so they headed to the airport at once.
“To my surprise, a large group of fans were waiting at the airport like us. Because we didn’t know the exact flight information, we just waited there,” Wang says. “When Chou finally arrived the next morning, fans went wild. I tried to take photos of him but the security guards were very aggressive.”
Besides cities nearby her home, Wang took part in some of Chou’s fans clubs and traveled to bigger cities, like Beijing and Shanghai to see him.
But she also expressed concern, noting that “there are always chaotic scenes at the airport because the number of fans at the airport could be over a hundred.”
Excited fans may want to get close to their favored celebrities, and to show their affection, but some have become a threat to airport security.
According to CCTV’s report on July 14, about 20 reported incidents of impassioned fans creating chaos took place at Beijing Capital Airport’s Terminal 3 last year. More than 20 fans bought flight tickets in their bid to see their favorite star, blocking the boarding gate, which led to the flight being delayed for about two hours.
In a media conference held by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in June, Guo Rengang, deputy head of the administration’s policy, law and regulation department, said that those who unduly disrupt flights will be given a demerit on their social credit record and could face being banned from flying for up to a year.
“Unruly fans causing chaos at the airport disrupts social order and security. Selling and paying for celebrities’ flight information also breaks rules on personal privacy,” wrote People’s Daily on its official Sina Weibo account on July 24.
This May, when Taiwan pop singer Hebe Tian, a member of Taiwan pop group S. H. E, was welcomed by dozens of her devoted fans, at the airport of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, she told fans to be safe and to clear the way. Later, she described her experience at the airport as “Too much” on Sina Weibo.
In a public letter written by fans of Chinese pop singer Cai Xunkun early this May, they say that “out of respect and protection for Cai Xunkun, please don’t obtain any information about his private schedules. It will cause trouble for him and disturb social order.”
The 19-year-old Cai rose to fame after participating in a reality show, Idol Producer, launched by China’s online streaming service, iQiyi, early this year. He won a total of over 47 million votes and made his debut with the pop group, Nine Percent, this April.
Now, Cai has about 12 million followers on his Sina Weibo account and is one of the most popular young pop stars in the country.
“I became a big fan of him after I watched the live performance of the final competition of Idol Producer on April 6. He is so talented and so cute,” says Qi Qi, a 20-year-old woman from Beijing, mentioning that fans of Cai are nicknamed “ikun”, meaning “love kun”.
“Since Nine Percent started touring nationwide, I traveled with them. I only go to the concerts, fans meetings, and other public events. I don’t want to disturb his life.”
Qi also notes that she has seen other fans following their idols through the airport, which “just look’s so crazy.”
“Some fans shove their phones in the stars’ faces, which is not polite. It also caused some of the fans, and the stars themselves, to be pushed and even injured in the process. Security is necessary to protect both the celebrities and the other people,” she adds.
Unruly fans causing chaos at the airport disrupts social order and security. Selling & paying for celebrities’ flight information also breaks rules on personal privacy.”
People’s Daily