Yao Ming and Kris Wu not Chinese? Online witch hunt of Chinese celebrities with foreign passports
- Nationalism on the increase in China, and film stars and celebrities are being outed for holding overseas passports
- From Yao Ming to Chen Kaige, celebrities with overseas nationality are considered unpatriotic by some
With nationalism at an all-time high in China amid the global coronavirus pandemic, a frenzy to catch out stars for having foreign nationality has gripped the entertainment industry. In the face of accusations that they are foreign nationals, numerous stars have come out to dispel the rumours and proclaim they are Chinese nationals.
They include farmer-turned-showbiz tycoon Zhao Benshan, who said this week he had never emigrated to Canada, as claimed by the media. “This is fake [news] … My whole family’s household registration is in Liaoning,” he said.
When asked by a Variety reporter what Mulan’s maxim of being loyal, brave and genuine means to her, she said: “To my family and my real self, I am loyal, brave and genuine. I am very proud to be an Asian. Once we know what we want, we try our best to be our best selves.”