Political tensions between Taiwan and China have been pretty intense after the inaugural speech of Taiwan’s newest President Lai Ching Te saying the two countries are not subordinate to each other further fanned the flames. Seemingly in retaliation, China struck back with a harsher stance: “China will eventually achieve complete reunification” with trending hashtags on Chinese social media bearing the message: “Taiwan has never been a country and will never be one.”
There’s a List Going Around
Mainland Chinese celebs showed their support by reposting the hashtag on social media, but pressure turned to Taiwanese celebs as C-Netz started making a tally of who has not spoken up. In the past few days, over 40 Taiwanese celebs, particularly those working in the mainland have also shared the message, and those who have not done so were put under scrutiny in China.
Amongst those Netizens put on blast was Wallace Huo whom they claimed has not yet expressed his stance on the matter. After all, other Taiwanese colleagues in the industry like Rainie Yang, Michelle Chen, Patty Hou, Nana Ouyang, Joe Chen, Angela Chang, Lai Guanlin just to name a few, have all reposted and shared the original post from broadcasting network CCTV on their social media pages.
NO surprises there that Wallace and his wife Ruby Lin even made the list of “delinquent artists” compiled by mainland Netizens naming and shaming Taiwanese artists who haven’t expressed their support for CCTV’s newest campaign. As one mainland Netizen put it, “if you don’t express your stance, you don’t get to make money from the mainland.” Indeed some even threatened to boycott his upcoming C-drama The Tale of Rose 玫瑰的故事 starring Crystal Liu Yifei and Tong Dawei, which is expected to air soon.
The thing is, others pointed out there’s really no way for the 44-year-old actor to “repost” anything since he already shut down his social media pages ages ago. Wallace claimed he wanted to communicate with fans “in the purest way possible – through his film and TV work,” hence the reason for shutting down his Studio’s Weibo and Facebook accounts six years ago. So how then is he expected to make his stance sans social media, many asked.
Source: 1
Coralie
Ugh this kind of pressure to submit to mainland China is very distasteful. They’re basically forced to betray their homeland for their livelihood. Yes they rely on public exposure for a living, but why can’t they stay neutral? It’s bullying behavior to expect everyone to comply in order to work there.
Good on Wallace for erasing his socials. The expectations put on celebs are just too oppressive.
Anon
Distasteful? More distasteful than woke people who are the minority forcing the majority to accept and celebrate their warped ideas and to punish them if they don’t accept? You don’t expect your employees to comply with your company values and rules if they wish to work with you?
Coralie
@Anon If the company rules were agreed to and specified from the very beginning, then that’s a different story. This wasn’t specified and it’s an expectation forced on an entity that has no obligation to comply. It is a partnership relationship. Also corporations are still on the hook for discrimination. No one can be singled out and discriminated based on personal beliefs as long as they don’t force it on others.
Anon
The corporation is an analogy. These are societal expectations and everyone knows them. People can choose to be non-compliant to expectations but they should accept that they are open to criticisms of others. These are just netizens’ reactions. They also have a right to voice their opinions too. Don’t forget that there are opinions in his defence too. Wallace can choose to ignore them and remain silent. He can address them too, if he likes. His choice on how he wants to react; his customers’ choice on what they think of him. There are no laws involved here.
“No one can be singled out and discriminated based on personal beliefs as long as they don’t force it on others.” Sure, idealistic notions. But it happens everyday, most especially in the US. Heck, I can’t even say that I believe that there are only 2 genders, without being singled out for violent verbal abuse.
Again, the netizens who criticised him also have a right to their personal beliefs and they too, have a right to support or not support his work. Nobody is forcing him to say or do anything he himself does not personally believe in. It’s his choice. Much more civilized that the US woke culture, where one could even be physically abused for not expressing support for some minority notions, don’t you think?
Coralie
@Anon it’s difficult to converse this topic when you change the analogy goalpost.
Also blasting the message that “China will eventually achieve reunification,” is forcing a narrative upon the masses to follow suit. And y’know those who are found as non-compliant will definitely get boycotted with implicit approval from the mainland cnetz and gov’t. Unlike others in the U.S., who have the right to protest against gov’t stances, folks in China have no right to do so. Just have to parrot what mouthpiece says.
Gender is a societal construct, which means it can fluctuate based on personal identification. A man in that sense can be a woman or trans, etc. A person’s $ex is defined by science and that doesn’t change. So female will always be female, etc. it’s about defining these things correctly. Kind of like the difference between phenotype and genotype.
What minority are you talking about? Being vague doesn’t help.
HL
I agree, I feel it is very smart for Wallace to shut down all social media years ago. He can just focus on acting.
No war needed
I just wish that China would leave Taiwan alone.
Anon
Why ? Would you leave your adult kid do as he wishes if he lives in your house and then declares that the house is his and demands that you move out? You had no problem with him leaving there rent-free as long as he gives the proper respect and behaves appropriately according to your house rules, right?
That is exactly the situation between the China and Taiwan. China had left Taiwan alone since the KMT fled there after losing the civil war.
No war needed
You can have your opinion and so do I. My thinking is really simple – Taiwan is doing well on it’s own. If China wants to take it over then there will be a war. There will be bloodshed. People will get hurt and it will destroy Taiwan. It’s so unnecessary.
Anon
Tell that to the Taiwanese. They are the ones being foolish and seeking the war-paths. As I said, China left them alone in peace for more than 70 years and has been upfront that violent confrontation might only occur if they decide to persist with treasonous actions. And the new Taiwan president has upped the tensions to a new height with his independence speech.
Guess you will be the type who will gladly move out of your own house without a protest if your own adult kid decides to turn you out. Good on you.
Coralie
@Anon So a region that is seeking independence is asking for war, even tho they’ve been independent for 70 years? They’ve kept stating they don’t want reunification, but China is pushing the narrative that they will be unified no matter what, only a question of when. How does that make any sense?
Anon
See my reply to “No War Needed” below. Taiwan island has never ever been an independent nation. It was first occupied by the Portuguese, then the Spanish, then by China under the Qing Dynasty. KMT cannot unilaterally decide than Taiwan no longer belongs to China. In fact the KMT government had always claimed that there is only “one China” and that they also governed the mainland. That is why it was the KMT government who continued to represent China in the UN until 1971, even though it lost the civil war in 1949. Taiwan never tried to act that it was not part of China until some 20+ years ago when they realised that they could never get back governmental control of China.
Read some real history.
No war needed
You are just ridiculous. No one can make me move out of my own house if i don’twant to. Taiwan is like a grown up person. He is doing fine on his own and he doesn’t want his parents to control him anymore. He is independent and his parents can’t make him move back into their house.
Anon
Taiwan should move out of the house. But it seems you cannot understand the concept of territorial and legal ownership even though I try to explain in such simple analogy as a house. Taiwan island is just one of the tiny rooms in the house of China. And no amount of tantrums by that kid in the room can change that fact unless legal papers are signed. Understand that?
No war needed
@Anon
All I care is that for people in Taiwan and China to not go to war and they can live in peace. Why do you think that you are always right and everyone else is wrong? No one wants to discus with you here. You are also so rude here. Where is your manner?
DDD
@Anon
Erhhh, no.
Using your analogy, after the civil war the KMT fleeing to the island now known as Taiwan would be the equivalent of “the adult kid” getting the hell out of your house after a big fight.
Also using your analogy, China claiming both the country entity known as Taiwan and the physical island belong to China is the equivalent of:
1. You claiming “the adult kid” is STILL a baby under your care and rules, despite them being “the adult kid”
2. You claiming their new house yours
I call BS.
Anon
Study some history and grow some common sense before you comment.
Taiwan is just a room in that house. It’s not a different country, which it would be impossible for the KMT to flee to and stay there. No matter how your kid yelled or barricade the door, that room still belongs to the house. If your kid don’t like it, then just move out. But the room is part of the house and belongs to the owner.
We are talking property and territorial rights. About the house. Not about the occupants. The occupants can leave if they don’t like that house and its owner.
“New house” ? You got to be joking that you can be this ignorant? Taiwan has been legally and officially part of China, since the Qing Dynasty when the Dutch colonialists were driven out. That’s like almost 400 years. Except for a brief 50 year period when the Japanese occupied it after they attacked China and which Japan subsequently returned to China at the end of WW2, and which return was orchestrated and overseen by the US, USSR, UK and a dozen other countries.
DDD
Troll, you are now frothing at the mouth and barfing out of your a$$. Have fun shouting at the top of your lungs. Bye.
Anon
How can I be a troll when I am giving you historical facts, which you could have checked out for yourself? And all you can do is resort to name calling and insults?
If a real confrontation actually breaks out, then I do hope that you volunteer to go to Taiwan’s frontline and really spill your blood and guts for Taiwan. We might have some respect for your stance then.
DDD
If you knew I could have checked out historical facts myself, why do you “give” them anyway?
And where do you get your “historical facts,” from party-approved history books?
No one can voice differing opinions on Taiwan unless they’re willing to go the front line and spill their blood and guts?
You’re the one who’s being confrontational to everyone who disagrees with you, and now you’re calling foul to insults?
Who are “we”? And who the F are you to speak for the whole of China?
And you say you’re not a troll. Go away so the rest of us can have a civil discussion on a sensitive topic.
No war needed
@DDD
Yes. This Anon person thinks that everyone is wrong and she is the only one is right. Pathetic!
tsevca
I don’t think there is a point. Anon’s obsessive need to react to every post under the article suggests a troll, perhaps even a professional one.
Either way, drama fans usually forget the main point. Mainland China is not a democratic country (opposite to current Taiwan after its also problematic past). Whether it is because they never lived in a communist country, so they cannot grasp what it means to actually have a dictatorship in a country, or they prefer to ignore it to feel better about themselves enjoying the dramas… The fact is it’s useless to argue with it. Half of their “rules” make no sense and they don’t care. It’s never about being right.
And I do come from previously communist country, so I actually know what I’m talking about.
Lisa
And here I thought the whole Hebe posting a picture of herself eating pasta = support for Nancy Pelosi and Taiwan independence is ridiculous. This is just out of control. They’re calling someone a delinquent artist because he hasn’t reposted something when he doesn’t even use social media?! the mental gymnastics…. and why boycott the Tale of Rose when there are so many other Chinese artists and crew members that participated in the drama. Do we need to destroy the livelihood of so many Chinese citizens over a person with no social media? These people need jobs or actual healthy things to care about/spend their time on.
Anon
Do not ridicule the sentiments of the people of a country for whom destruction, occupation and humiliation by 8 other countries concurrently in addition to internal strife are still fresh memories. The generation who experienced this have not even fully died out yet.
This situation is as democratic as it gets – the consumer decides. No need to worry about celebrities. They have plenty of financial reserves to wait it out. Such heated discussions only last a while. Plenty of other businesses too. Some even try to evade their taxes.
For work already done, the workers are already paid. They are all employed in other projects since they finished that one a year or so ago. If one drama does not broadcast, the only people really financially impacted are the production companies. And production companies never only depend on one drama for income. And there are plenty of other ways around it – release on-line and internationally. I just don’t understand why so many people would worry about whether a drama gets released or not, or over a celebrity, when this group of people are really on top of their game. Nobody gets to be a celebrity by being a naive, hard-working, talented artiste.
If you want something really ridiculous – try looking at Malaysia. The people and the Authorities called to boycott a supermarket chain just because of 5 pairs of socks imprinted with a religious word, which obviously got into the batch by mistake (or by sabotage) . And if such a chain closes down, then yes, tens of thousands of employees will be laid off.
Lisa
How did Taiwan destroy, occupy or humiliate China? I don’t even understand your comment. This isn’t about supporting Japan or US. I don’t care to watch Tale of Rose, but it’s other people’s hard work and perhaps they want to see the work get broadcasted? There are other ways to boycott an artist without impacting a bunch of other people. This article isn’t about Malaysia, but yes, sure, that’s even more ridiculous. Your whataboutism doesn’t mean it’s rational to be mad at an artist and put him on a blacklist because he didn’t repost something on a platform HE DOESN’T HAVE AN ACCOUNT FOR. Should he go and create an account just to repost it? Is he then going to be ridiculed for being performative? And for the record, I don’t think all cnetz are unreasonable, but there’s definitely a loud batch that are ludicrous.
DDD
Here’s one of the loud ones ==> @Anon. They just don’t realize the louder they shout, the less folks want to listen. No one wants to listen to a raving lunatic.
Nobody
There can’t be peace between Taiwan and China. TSMC is too good not to have in the hands of PRC. Billions of dollars and national security can be advanced with a single acquisition of TSMC.