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A Chinese woman posed as a scholar and fabricated an entire medieval Russian history on Chinese Wikipedia, deceiving users for years before being exposed.
Key Points
- A Chinese woman, using the pseudonym Zhemao, fabricated 206 articles on medieval Russian history on Chinese Wikipedia.
- The hoax was uncovered by novelist Yifan, who found the references in her articles were non-existent.
- Zhemao’s fictitious entries were detailed, interconnected, and included fake sources, making them difficult to detect.
- The scam spanned four years, with her work even being translated into other languages and selected as featured articles.
- Zhemao was revealed to be a housewife with no formal education, creating the elaborate hoax out of boredom.
In one of the most elaborate hoaxes in the history of Wikipedia, a Chinese woman posing as a scholar has been exposed for creating an entirely fictitious account of medieval Russian history on the platform. Over a period of four years, the woman, who went by the username Zhemao, fabricated 206 detailed articles about non-existent states, battles, and aristocrats, weaving together facts and fiction to create an alternate reality.
The hoax was uncovered in May by Chinese novelist Yifan, who was researching material for a book when he stumbled upon an article about the Kashin silver mine, supposedly discovered by Russian peasants in 1344. According to the Wikipedia entry, the mine employed over 40,000 slaves and freedmen, providing a significant source of wealth for the Russian principality of Tver. The article detailed everything from the geological composition of the soil to the refining process.
Intrigued by the level of detail, Yifan attempted to verify the information by consulting Russian speakers and cross-checking the references cited by Zhemao. To his surprise, the sources and versions of the books she cited did not exist. Further investigation revealed that the supposed historical events described in her articles could not be found in any Russian records.
Yifan shared his findings on Zhihu, a Chinese platform similar to Quora, where his post caused a stir. Soon, a group of volunteer editors and Wikipedians, including veteran Chinese Wikipedian John Yip, began combing through Zhemao’s past contributions. They discovered that she had tampered with nearly 300 articles, including one that was almost as long as “The Great Gatsby.”
Zhemao’s articles were written in a formal, authoritative tone and included maps, rare images of ancient coins, and other details that lent them an air of credibility. One of her most heavily altered entries was about the deportation of Chinese people from the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s. The article was so well-written that it was selected as a featured article and translated into other languages, spreading the false information even further.
Yip, who had previously interacted with Zhemao, was shocked by the extent of her deception. Like many others, he had been impressed by her knowledge of obscure historical topics and her dedication to editing Wikipedia, as she made contributions almost every other day.
“Her entries appeared comprehensive, with proper citations, but some were made up, while others had page numbers that did not add up,” Yip said. Zhemao frequently cited a Chinese translation of “History of Russia From Earliest Times,” a monumental 29-volume work by Russian historian Sergei M. Soloviev. However, the translation she referenced turned out to be a fabrication.
Zhemao’s convincing persona as a modest scholar played a significant role in her ability to deceive the Wikipedia community. On her user profile, she described herself as the daughter of a Chinese diplomat stationed in Russia, married to a Russian man, with a doctoral degree in world history from Moscow State University. She even claimed to be a pacifist and shared a petition her husband supposedly signed in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
To bolster her credibility, Zhemao controlled at least four sock puppet accounts—alternative profiles she used to create the illusion of support for her work. One of these accounts, Inquisitive Amateur, had been active since 2010, but the investigation suggested that Zhemao only took control of it in 2019.
Despite her elaborate deception, Zhemao’s hoax eventually unraveled. As punishment, she and her associated accounts were permanently banned from Wikipedia, and most of her articles were deleted. Some Wikipedians even reached out to experts for help in distinguishing between the fake and real information in her contributions.
In an apology letter posted on her Wikipedia account last month, Zhemao came clean about her true identity. She admitted that she was a housewife with only a high school education and no knowledge of English or Russian. She explained that her hoax began with innocent intentions—unable to comprehend scholarly articles in their original language, she pieced together sentences with the help of a translation tool and filled in the blanks with her imagination. As the lies accumulated, she found herself unable to stop.
“The knowledge I have right now is not enough to make a living. In the future, I will learn a craft, work conscientiously, and not do pointless things like this anymore,” Zhemao wrote. She also apologized to the real experts on Russian history, whom she had attempted to cozy up to and later impersonated.
The incident has dealt a significant blow to Wikipedia’s credibility, with many users now more cautious about potential fraud on the platform. However, it also serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and verification in the age of open-source information.
