Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse is giving up Canadian citizenship amid Chinese crackdown on entertainment industry
- Dual citizenship is banned in China, making it a topic of interest for ethnically Chinese celebrities of foreign nationality
- China launched a campaign to crack down this summer on the behaviour of celebrities
Hong Kong actor and singer Nicholas Tse is applying to give up his Canadian citizenship amid rising concerns that holding dual citizenship may be viewed as unpatriotic by the mainland Chinese audience.
“Whether it’s food, music or action films, I have the willingness and responsibility to spread Chinese culture to the whole world,” he said.
Tse said an online comment about Raging Fire “made his heart skip a beat” because it asked if he was Canadian: “I wondered, why would they say that?”
Tse’s father, Patrick Tse, and Tse’s manager, Mani Fok, told the Oriental Daily that they would respect his personal decision.
His time in Canada allowed him to become a Hong Kong and Canadian dual citizenship holder. Mainland Chinese citizens cannot become dual citizens, so they must renounce a foreign citizenship if they hope to become a Chinese citizen, or renounce their Chinese citizenship if they would like to obtain a non-Chinese nationality.
China releases plan to ban ‘sissy idols’, promote a ‘correct beauty standard’
Although there is no official ban on Chinese stars with foreign passports on the mainland, the Chinese public occasionally criticises celebrities of foreign nationalities. Some stars have dropped foreign citizenship for a Chinese one to boost their career.
In July, US-born Arthur Chen Feiyu, the son of famous director Chen Kaige, swapped his American citizenship for a Chinese one, his studio said on Weibo.
Earlier this year, Beijing banned mentions of director Chloe Zhao’s Oscar wins. She was born in China and has spent a significant portion of her life in Britain and the US. She made comments critical of China in 2013, prompting people to question her nationality when Nomadland turned her into a household name after winning three Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards.
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Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse to renounce Canadian citizenship amid China crackdown on its celebrities
Liu Yifei, the China-born star of Disney’s Mulan, received criticism for giving up her Chinese citizenship.
Other top names who have changed their passports include Gong Li and Jet Li, now Singaporean, and director Chen Kaige, who is a US citizen.
No explanation as billionaire actress Zhao Wei scrubbed from Chinese internet
Tse’s announcement and declaration of national spirit came amid a sweeping crackdown on the entertainment industry by the Chinese government.
Over the summer, several policies and online censorship targeted celebrities who had behaved poorly. The stars had been accused of crimes ranging from rape, tax evasion or behaviour and speech that hurt “public order and morals”.
Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian singer, was detained by the Chinese police on August 16 after multiple women accused him of rape. He has been thoroughly censored on the Chinese internet.
Last month, billionaire actress Vicki Zhao Wei appeared to have been blacklisted by the government after her entire internet presence was scrubbed without explanation.
