
Photos: Dylan Kuo / Weibo and kungtzushen / IG
Dylan Kuo who rose to fame in Taiwanese idol dramas like The Outsiders has drawn mixed reactions over his comment referring to Taiwan, where he was born and raised, merely as his physical home and not necessarily where his spirit calls home. The short clip was posted on Instagram Threads by Youtuber and current affairs commentator Terence Shen 公子沈 who accused him of toadying up. This spurred a flurry of criticism from Taiwanese Netizens offended by what he said. In sharp contrast, Chinese Netizens praised the actor, saying Taiwanese actors like Dylan Kuo never forgot their roots.
A Journey to Trace His Roots
In recent years, the 47-year-old actor has shifted gears to focus on an acting career in the mainland. Last year, he appeared in a Chinese variety show (行进中国黄河篇) that allowed him to reconnect with his long lost relatives in Shandong where his dad hails from. The main aim of the program was to give viewers a glimpse of local culture thanks to its backpacking hosts. However, the trip was made doubly meaningful for Dylan since he was able to trace back his roots.
Describing his experience, the actor said that he feels like he’s forever adrift and wandering in his life. But returning to his father’s hometown and meeting the relatives he never met including his 85-year-old grand uncle made him realise that blood is indeed thicker than water. Dylan said “When I return to Zhong Guo (China) Taiwan, it is my body’s home”. It’s not necessarily a spiritual homecoming, he said. Whilst Mainland Netizens appreciated his sentiments, his comments drew flak from Taiwanese Netizens.
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Anon
Ironic ! Taiwanese so proud that they are a “democracy” as opposed to China’s “communism”, and yet does not even pretend to allow freedom of thought and speech. He has every right to express his opinions as long as he is not giving hate speech or inciting others to do illegal things or slandering others.
Many other Taiwan chinese have expressed the same sentiments about finding their roots. Nothing new.