‘It’s propaganda bulls***!’: Hong Kong rapper Jackson Wang’s emotional London concert tirade against anti-China media sparks flood of online support

Hong Kong singer and rapper Jackson Wang has won overwhelming support on mainland social media after a video of his emotionally-charged speech rejecting anti-China media coverage during his London concert went viral.

In the video filmed during the London leg of Wang’s Magic Man World Tour on January 12, he openly denounced anti-China coverage in the media as “propaganda bulls***” to an audience of thousands in a seven-minute speech.

Wang began his delivery, which was laced with colourful language, by introducing himself as “Jackson Wang from China”.

“If you travel to China one time, you’ll feel like this is a dope place,” he said, attracting roars of approval from the crowd.

Wang also expressed his opposition to the over-hyping of celebrities and encouraged his fans to respect all occupations and to find happiness using their own standards.

“I’m an entertainer and I try to give you guys positive energy,” he said.

The patriotic speech won Wang a wave of support from Chinese people, who flowed to the comment section of the videos to applaud Wang.

“I’m so moved and full of respect towards him. How many celebrities dare to speak up for their countries as bravely as him?” one online commentator said.

“He is not a mere singer, but an artist who truly cares about life and society,” said another.

Some said it is rare for Wang, who was raised and educated in Hong Kong, to be so faithful to China. “He must have an exceptional family education,” a third person said.

Born in Hong Kong in 1994, Jackson Wang is the son of Chinese fencer Wang Ruiji, who competed at the 1984 and 1998 Summer Olympics, and Shanghai-born world-champion gymnast Sophia Chow.

The young Wang himself was a Youth-Olympic level sabre fencer who has won Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships before becoming a K-pop trainee at JYP Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea, at the age of 17.

He debuted in 2014 as a member of the K-pop boy band Got7.

He started releasing solo material in 2017 and began attending more mainland variety shows as his popularity was on the rise in China.

Wang has built a reputation as a patriotic hero in China thanks to the public demonstrations of pride he made towards his Chinese origins since he went to South Korea.

On one occasion, when asked during a South Korean variety show if he “was a Hongkonger”, Wang answered “I’m Chinese”.

In 2019, in the middle of the Got7 world tour concert in Santiago, Chile, Wang accepted a Chinese national flag from one of the audience members and wore it over his shoulders.

Despite the fact that China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television announced a ban on effeminate boy bands and idol talent shows in 2021, Wang has received consistent support from China’s national television broadcaster CCTV.

The broadcaster reminded Wang to “pay attention to his safety” when he said on Weibo that he was “a guardian of China’s national flag”.

He was also invited to perform at CCTV’s 2022 Spring Festival Gala, the most popular television programme in China.