BEIJING, April 11-- A man confessed to spreading rumors about Chinese celebrities and the government during his trial at Chaoyang District People's Court in Beijing on Friday, accepting he made up stories and information to defame others.

Qin Zhihui, known as "Qinhuohuo" in cyberspace, was accused of creating and spreading rumors about several celebrities including popular television hostess Yang Lan, as well as China's former Ministry of Railways. He spread rumors via Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like service, from December 2012 to August 2013, according to prosecutors.

Qin's actions impacted society and seriously harmed social order, prosecutors said. He violated the criminal law and should be punished for defamation and causing disturbances crimes, they added.

Qin confessed to the charges in court.

To gain notoriety, Qin made up and spread a series of rumors, including one that the Chinese government granted 200 million yuan (32.5 million U.S. dollars) in compensation to a foreign passenger who died in a bullet train accident in east China in 2011. The rumor was reposted 12,000 times within two hours and angered Chinese Internet users.

Qin is the first person to appear in court since the Ministry of Public Security vowed to target those who spread online rumors last August. The country's supreme court and procuratorate issued a judicial interpretation on the crime of defamation via the Internet in September, providing clear legal basis for cracking down on such crimes.