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Nicholas Tse Renounces Canadian Citizenship; Says He Is "Originally Chinese" 'Cos He Was Born In Hongkong

While his company and father Patrick Tse are supportive, Nic’s decision was met with mixed reactions from netizens.

While his company and father Patrick Tse are supportive, Nic’s decision was met with mixed reactions from netizens.

While his company and father Patrick Tse are supportive, Nic’s decision was met with mixed reactions from netizens.

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China has been taking extreme measures to crack down on all kinds of supposedly undesirable fan and celebrity behaviour following the scandals of stars like Vicki Zhao, Kris Wu, and Zhang Zhehan.

A recent report claimed that the authorities have now implemented a “restriction order” that will prohibit stars with foreign nationalities from working in the country.

The list was said to include Hongkong singer-actor Nicholas Tse, 41, who has Canadian citizenship.

Or should we say, “had”?

1 of 4 Bye bye, Canadian citizenship

On Sunday (Sep 5), Nic revealed on a CCTV talk show that he has already submitted an application to renounce his Canadian citizenship.

“I’ve seen a lot of comments saying, ‘Aren’t you Canadian?’ Actually, I was born in Hongkong, so I am originally Chinese,” he said, adding that he believes he has the responsibility of “promoting the Chinese spirit and culture” to the world, be it through food, music, or movies.

His announcement seems to have sat well with Weibo users, who praised him for his “strong sense of national pride” and for being “someone who loves his country”.

On the other hand, there are remarks on other websites slamming Nic for his decision, accusing him of being a “bootlicker” and scoffing that the renminbi must be “so fragrant”.

Some have also questioned his true intentions, pointing out that he’s only doing this after being in showbiz for so long and that it happens to coincide with the enactment of the “restriction order”.

2 of 4 You can’t please everyone

Elsewhere, netizens uncovered an old clip where Nic’s dad Patrick Tse, 84, reveals the reason Nic and his younger sister Jennifer Tse, 39, have Canadian citizenship.

The former matinee idol explained that his family immigrated to Canada to avoid “spoiling the kids”, since they might receive special treatment as his children in Hongkong.

As for what Patrick thinks of his son renouncing his Canadian citizenship, he told Hongkong media: “Whatever [Nicholas] wants to do, as a father, I will support him.”

Nic’s manager, Emperor Entertainment Group’s Mani Fok, has responded to the news as well, saying that the company “respects” his “personal decision”.

3 of 4 Nic with sis Jennifer, dad Patrick, and mum Deborah Lee

Nic, who got back together with Chinese pop diva Faye Wong in 2014, is certainly enjoying a successful career in the Mainland.

In addition to having his own popular food travelogue show Chef Nic, his movies are performing well at the box office too, with his latest action flick Raging Fire reportedly raking in an impressive 1.1bil yuan (S$229mil).

4 of 4 The country loves him so he’s loving it back

Photos: Nicholas Tse/Weibo, 中国电影报道/Weibo, PBE Media

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