Guan Chenchen on Her Public Clash With Wu Liufang: “I Was Cyberbullied” — Deleted 1,000 Contacts, Didn’t Want to Leave Home, and Says Her Mother Was Harassed

Beijing time on January 31, Olympic gymnastics champion Guan Chenchen spoke with the media and once again reflected on her past online clash with Gymnastics World Cup champion Wu Liufang.

In late 2024, Wu shared a dance video on social media. Guan left a comment under the post, voicing her opposition to Wu performing that kind of dance while presenting herself as a gymnast—an opinion that quickly drew widespread attention and sparked intense discussion.

Soon after, internet users dug up Guan’s own dance videos and used them to question her stance, fueling further debate and criticism.

Guan recalled that she first realized the situation was escalating when she received a call from a reporter. “I was traveling in Yunnan,” she said. “It was a little after 9 a.m., and I hadn’t even fully woken up when the call came in.” During that conversation, she apologized for reacting impulsively, while also reiterating her underlying position.

The fallout, however, extended beyond the online arguments. Guan said her mother’s pet shop began receiving harassing phone calls. One employee at the store is hearing-impaired, and the disturbance became so stressful that at night the staff member would remove their hearing aid just to regain some peace and quiet.

After that, Guan stopped answering calls from unknown numbers. She also deleted more than 1,000 contacts from her WeChat, hoping to reduce unwanted attention and protect her personal space.

She admitted the experience left a deep mark. At the time, she had little desire to go out, became increasingly resistant to interacting with strangers, and started pulling back from social media. She hid many of her old posts, stopped sharing day-to-day updates, and rarely watched short videos.

More than a year later, Guan reflected on the episode with visible regret. “I hope my 16-year-old self never walked into the internet,” she said. “If I could do it over, I’d choose a quieter, more ordinary life.”