It’s no secret that Taiwan and China have been embroiled in a fierce political battle of who belongs to who for decades now.
On one hand, Taiwan views themselves as a de-facto country separate from China, while on the other, China sees Taiwan as their own under the One China policy despite never controlling them.
And that’s precisely the reason why celebrities, people of influence, or practically even normal people like you and me, have to exercise absolute caution when alluding to the political status of Taiwan.
Unfortunately, one Taiwanese celebrity has recently come under fire for her implications regarding her home.
Dee Hsu’s Controversial Instagram Comment
The Olympic season comes with it a lot of national pride, which holds true for most people who are supporting the athletes that represent their own countries.
Which also includes Dee Hsu, one of the most popular TV show hosts in Taiwan who’s also known as Little S and has had a prolific career as a singer and actress as well.
You may have noticed that Taiwanese Olympians have been competing under “Chinese Taipei” instead of Taiwan, which has been as such since 1984, and the reason for it is none other than the dispute.
On 1 August 2021, Hsu uploaded a post to her Instagram account while the Olympics’ women’s singles badminton final was in full swing between Taiwan’s Tai Tzuying and China’s Chen Yufei.
Her comment referred to the Taiwanese Olympians as “national competitors”, which to some people meant that she was implying Taiwan was a country, rather than a Chinese state.
And with the power of social media where news travels extremely quickly, “Hsu’s Instagram” shot to one of the top most-searched keywords on Weibo with over 480 million people viewing it.
Netizens on Weibo, who are usually quick to seek out contrasting views from celebrities and companies regarding the Communist Party’s One China policy, then flamed her really, really badly.
Lost At Least Four Endorsements
It’s not just Internet keyboard warriors who went against her, but it was also companies who had previously sponsored her.
Unilever and Osuga amongst other companies announced that they would not be extending their contracts with Hsu following the controversy, in an attempt to show others that they don’t share the same views as her.
Oriental House, which sells traditional medicinal teas in China, also cancelled their contract with her almost immediately.
They wrote on Weibo that they support the One China principle, and that the nation’s interests are above anything else in importance.
It’s not Hsu’s first time in the rodeo either, for she was previously already being squinted at for proclaiming her valiant support for Kuomintang’s former president Ma Ying-jeou.
When masks were of great importance last year during the height of the pandemic, Taiwan decided to suspend exports of face masks.
Yet, Hsu criticised the move, saying that China urgently needed the masks more.
It’s rather risky behaviour for a Taiwanese celebrity, as most of them usually remain very careful about speaking with regards to Taiwan’s political status.
Saying the wrong thing could either get you boycotted from China, where the market is extremely lucrative, or people in Taiwan, where the people believe they are not from China.
Other Celebrities Also Felt The Heat
Hsu wasn’t the only one to receive criticism and curses during this Olympic period for offending the Chinese people, who have been encouraged to fight against others who threaten the country’s power.
Jolin Tsai, who’s an extremely popular singer who also comes from Taiwan, recently congratulated some Taiwanese Olympians on the same day.
Of course, this drew flak from Chinese netizens, who demanded to know why she only congratulated those from Taiwan and left out athletes from China.
Not only did Taiwanese celebrities fall victim to netizens’ comments, but so did foreign celebrities, like Japanese actor Yuki Furukawa.
What started off as an innocent question he posed to his Weibo followers about whether they were watching the Olympics or not ended badly because of the unfortunate timing.
As he posted that, the mixed doubles table tennis match was going on, and Japan won the match against China, who had been holding a 17-year-gold-medal streak in the category until that very day.
He quickly deleted the post and apologised, saying that he should have been more cautious with his words that were asked at the wrong time.
Social media can be a very scary thing indeed, for it only takes one wrong move to be cancelled forever.
And also, it can distort reality. Watch this video to the end to know something known as a “filter bubble”, whereby social media change your reality:
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Featured Image: Instagram (@elephantdee)
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