Rainie Yang’s Controversial Joke Sparks Outrage in China: Apology Issued After Backlash
Taiwanese singer Rainie Yang sparked outrage from Chinese citizens after she made a comment targeted towards the people of Henan during her recent concert in China.
The singer performed in Zhengzhou in China’s Henan Province on 9 December 2023 as part of her Like A Star World Tour. During which, she made a joke that did not land well with her audience.
Here’s what happened.
A “Joke” that Crossed the Line
According to videos filmed by concert-goers, a couple had been caught kissing on camera as Yang was performing her number. The scene was projected on the big screen, eliciting screams and cheers from the audience.
The noise attracted the attention of Yang, who was not facing the screen, prompting her to ask the audience what had happened after she concluded the song.
When she learnt about the kiss, she asked the couple to make themselves known by waving their glow sticks.
To which, the fans all excitedly waved their glow sticks in response, confusing the singer, who said, “Can you all calm down and let me know who kissed?”
When the audience continued to teasingly wave their glow sticks, she responded in playful exasperation, “I’m getting angry”, and “I’m not playing with you guys anymore because you aren’t telling me the truth!”
While the fun and games could have stopped there amidst laughter, Yang continued to poke the proverbial bear and “criticizes” her audience.
“Henan people can’t be like this. You already have a reputation, you know that? You love to lie, so don’t lie to me. The people of Zhengzhou are so cheeky!”
With that, Yang had incurred the wrath of one of the most populated provinces of China.
A concert-goer by the name of Chang pointed out that Yang had seemingly noticed something was amiss, as she had quickly dropped the topic, expressing concern that prolonging the discussion might extend the concert unnecessarily.
He recalled thinking, “It’s over, she said something wrong again.”
Netizens Unhappy with Yang’s Comments, Backlash Ensues
Some netizens and fans acknowledged it to be a joke that was made in the heat of the moment in admittedly poor taste.
Others, however, were not as forgiving.
(Understandable, I mean if Taylor Swift made us the butt of their jokes during her Singapore show after you spent S$50,000 dollars on her, I’m sure you would react with some level of indignation as well.)
(Then again, it’s Taylor Swift… She can step on me and I’d thank her.)
Videos of her careless comments were uploaded to Chinese social media platform Weibo, and subsequently went viral.
A comment from a disgruntled netizen stated, “Jokes should be made in moderation, artists need to pay more attention to their words and actions.”
According to Taiwan News, upset Chinese netizens filed their complaints to the Henan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, prompting them to reach out to relevant agencies for a follow-up.
Some state that Yang, by spreading remarks that “hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation”, violated China’s Public Security Administrative Punishments Law.
(Okay, maybe personally I wouldn’t have taken things that far…)
Yang Issues Apology on Weibo
On 10 December 2023, a day after the controversial comment was made, the 39-year-old singer posted a formal apology on her account on Weibo.
In her post, she writes the following:
“I want to apologize for the offensive and disrespectful joke I made at the Zhengzhou concert, I’m sorry. It is indeed my fault, and I am very willing and should accept everyone’s timely corrections and criticisms. I sincerely apologize again to those who have been troubled by me.”
The apology quickly garnered sympathy and love from her fans.
“I believe you didn’t mean any harm, I really enjoyed your show last night,” a concert-goer wrote.
Another fan commented, “Sister Yang, as a Henan resident myself, I didn’t think anything of it. I’ll continue to cheer you on!”
Many fans also brought up Yang’s previous Weibo post, in which she wrote about how much she loved Henan, having spent months living there while on a shoot in 2014.
“The atmosphere last night was good, and we all felt Rainie’s sincerity,” a fan defended, arguing that her words were taken out of context by intentional people maliciously.
“We know that (Rainie) has no malicious intentions at all. We hope that netizens can maintain their independent judgment and not be led astray.”
However, several netizens were still cynical, mocking fans who “paid money (for the concert) to be laughed at”.
“Compliments may be insincere, but criticisms are always truthful,” another wrote.
“If she truly loves (Henan), she would not have made jokes about Henan people.”
(I mean, I love my sister, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t joke about her at every given opportunity…)
As of the morning of 12 December 2023, relevant authorities and agencies are still looking into the matter.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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