Maskman: cyber muckraker rises

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By Mao Pengfei (Xinhua) 13:33, October 07, 2013

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GUANGZHOU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Like Bruce Wayne, Zhou Xiaoyun also faces his enemies in a DIY outfit -- a pair of sunglasses and a mask. And while he doesn't have access to Batman's high technology, he has at least harnessed the Internet as a powerful weapon.

"With my sunglasses and mask, I'm a muckraker, attending public events and exposing the inside story. Taking them off, I can fade into the crowd like a nobody," said the man who has risen to fame in China as an online crusader for public justice.

A WHISTLEBLOWER

With anti-corruption speeches by China's new political leadership ringing in people's ears, some worship Zhou as a hero. Others attack him as someone chasing fame in the media.

The 38-year-old calls himself a truth teller, "just like the boy in The Emperor's New Clothes."

One of the most striking things this "naughty little boy" has done was to tear off the clothes of one of China's once most powerful government bodies -- the former Ministry of Railways.

Its much-criticized website, 12306.cn, came under renewed fire after Zhou posted two contracts related to the project. They indicated that its cost reached over 500 million yuan (21.7 million U.S. dollar) -- a sum deemed by many as frivolous spending of public funds.

The revelation angered netizens, millions of whom have endured long online queues on 12306.cn to buy tickets.

Ensuing media reports even found that the successful bidder for the suspiciously costly contracts turned out to be a big client of the ministry's affiliated companies.

"I sued the Ministry of Railways because they did not disclose the bidding information as I asked," said Zhou, rapping the desk with knuckles. "It's my civil right to know."

But the accused no longer exists.

The Ministry of Railways was dismissed in March during the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. This was widely believed to have something to do with the Ministry's corruption scandals and heavy monopoly.

In early July, its former minister Liu Zhijun was given a suspended death penalty for taking bribes and abusing his power and its former deputy chief engineer Zhang Shuguang, was charged on Sept. 10 with bribe taking.

This is not the first time he has fought the authorities, like an ant against an elephant.

In 2012, he raised the hackles of the Chinese public and made powerful men sweat under collar by revealing scandals like yogurt and jelly made from discarded leather shoes, and former corrupt officials reemployed by local governments.

This whistleblower has even proudly written it into his resume that he "brought down a departmental-level official within 10 days."

A TRUTH DIGGER

Does Zhou worry about his safety? His answer is no.

"I posted my evidence under my real name, meaning that I'm totally responsible for what I said on the Internet," he said. "When my revelation becomes a public event, I'm safe under netizens' attention."

Actually, his revelation follows a series of rules to protect himself.

"My targets are mainly government organs and organizations, especially those that infringe upon public interests. I never use someone's quote as evidence and I collect evidence through legal means, most from officially published documents," he said.

On his battle field, Twitter-like Sina Weibo, he has won over 140,000 followers, and Han Han, the Chinese cover star of Time magazine with over 10 million of his own followers, is among them.

Besides all the fame on the Internet, however, Zhou lives the life of an everyday working Joe.

In a 40-square-meter apartment, which he rents in the humid downtown of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, he lives with a cat, two laptops and over 1,000 books piled and scattered on the floor, the desk and the bed.

From a crayon drawing on the wall, Zhou and his ex-girlfriend stare at their once sweet home, now serving as the "interrogation room" as he surfs the net for scandals.

"My revelation of scandals always come after thorough investigations. They consume all my spare time and my health," he said, with dark circles under rounded eyes, "but facing the lies, I can not keep silent."

"It's my civic duty," he said. "If my finding concerns public interest, I have no right to keep it to myself and the public voice will push the authorities to investigate."