Jackie Chan, Charmaine Sheh & Other Hongkong Stars Show Their Support For China

With the political unrest in Hongkong entering its 10th week, many of the city’s celebrities are starting to speak out on it. And those who have shown pro-Beijing sentiments have come under fire from Hongkongers supporting the pro-democracy, anti-police-brutality demonstrations.

The singer was labelled a Hongkong independence supporter in June after she had shared on Instagram a black and white image with the word ‘RIP’ on it following the death of an extradition bill protester. Miriam then removed the photo, and in July claimed that her IG had been hacked and so would not be updating her account for the time being.

Yesterday (Aug 14), Miriam’s management company posted a statement from the singer that read: “I have always supported the Basic Law of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and insist that the Hongkong Special Administrative Region is an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China.”

“Recently, there have been many false reports and malicious personal attacks on the Internet. We are vehemently against the fabricated reports that Miss Miriam Yeung supports the Hongkong independence movement. Miss Miriam Yeung has always loved China and Hongkong and so we urge the media and social media users to stop spreading false statements about Miss Miriam Yeung. We have no issue taking legal action against slanderers.”

Miriam later reposted the message on her own Weibo account, along with this caption: “I was born and raised in Hongkong. I love this land and my country. I believe tomorrow will be better.”

Her message has since angered those on the side of the pro-democracy protests and one netizen left this comment: “You don’t love the country, you love their money.”

The Story of Yanxi Palace actress was slammed in June by Chinese netizens when they discovered that she had ‘liked’ an anti-extradition bill post on Instagram. Charmaine later apologised for her actions and explained that she had accidentally liked the pic without knowing what it was really about. She also declared her love for both Hongkong and China.

Last night, she posted a pic of the Chinese flag with the words “Hongkong is part of China forever” on it, along with this caption: “I love my motherland China. I love my hometown Hongkong. I love peace and I hope our society will return to being peaceful and stable.”

While Charmaine's post was welcomed by Chinese netizens, her Hongkong followers expressed their disappointment, leaving messages like, “I’m so disappointed, I watched your shows growing up, how did you end up like this” and “Renminbi smells better”.

 

The action superstar was criticised by netizens when he claimed ignorance about the extradition bill protests in June. Earlier this month, he was one of the first big name stars to share a post about protecting the Chinese flag after protesters were seen throwing the flag into the sea.

Then yesterday, Jackie gave an interview where he reiterated his pro-China stance, referring to himself as a “national flag protector.” “Over the years, I’ve been to many countries and [seeing how] our country is developing really fast makes me feel very proud to be Chinese. The Chinese flag is respected around the world and it makes me feel safe, stable and peaceful. It’s like air, once it’s gone, you know how precious it is. I was born in Hongkong and it is my hometown. China is my country and I love my country. I also love my hometown and I really hope for Hongkong to become peaceful again,” he added.

Declaring themselves as “national flag protectors”, too, are Jackson Wang, William Chan and Hawick Lau. All three shared the aforementioned post about protecting the Chinese flag along with the hashtag: 'the Chinese national flag has 1.4 billion flag bearers', which is a social media campaign launched by CCTV.
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Jackson, in particular, has been heavily criticised for his post by pro-Hongkong independence protestors. According to reports, they have revealed the GOT7 member’s home address in Korea as well as his Hongkong flight details, even threatening to rip up the Chinese flag in front of the star if they see him at the airport.

The ’90s pop star shared a series of photos about the Chinese flag along with a message saying that he loves China and Hongkong. And some of his followers are displeased with him for revealing his political stance, with one (possibly former) fan leaving this comment: “Guess now's your chance to earn Renminbi”.

Another ’90s pop idol who is pro-Beijing is Eric Suen. During an interview yesterday, the singer declared that he is not a supporter of the Hongkong independence movement. “It’s been over 20 years since Hongkong’s handover to China. I am very against Hongkong’s independence as well as words and actions that hurt Hongkong and China, he said.

 

On June 30, the Cantopop star, together with Alan Tam and Tony Leung Ka-Fai, took part in a pro-police rally. He had called the demonstrators “ridiculous” and defended the Hongkong police for “doing their job”. Some of their fans than posted videos and photos of themselves destroying Kenny and Alan’s old albums and posters, saying that the pair have gone too far and accusing them of “supporting police brutality”.

Yesterday, an undeterred Kenny posted a series of pro-police images on his Weibo as well as a message praising Fu Guohao, the Global Times reporter who was attacked by protestors when he refused to show his press credentials.