Calls for boyccott of 'Mulan' because of star's Hong Kong ccomments

DISNEY

Crystal Liu may have missed her mark with her comments on the Hong Kong demonsstrations.

ASAM NEWS

A comment on social media by Crystal Liu, otherwise known as Liu Yifei, supporting the response by Hong Kong police against pro-democracy protestors, has set off a backlash.
Supporters of the demonstrators are calling for a boycott of Mulan, the live-action remake from Disney, in which she plays the title character, reports the Guardian.

Liu, who was born in China and moved to New York at the age of 10, wrote on the Chinese social media site Weibo, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong.”

Although she returned to China at the age of 15 to study acting, Liu reportedly is a naturalized American citizen .

Some have accused Hong Kong police of using excessive force, but other actors, including Jackie Chan have also supported both police and the Chinese government. Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Daniel Chan also have taken a pro-China stance, reported the International Business Times.

Celebrities in China are not immune to the sometimes hard treatment by the government. Popular actress Fan Bingbing, who was making an international name for herself, including in Hollywood, mysteriously disappeared for a year without explanation. Nobody knew where she was. She resurfaced in 2018 with an apology for evading taxes.

"As a public figure, I should have abided by laws and regulations, and been a role model in the industry and society," she said in a letter posted on social media last October. "I shouldn't have lost self-restraint or become lax in managing my companies, which led to the violation of laws in the name of economic interests."

"Without the favorable polices of the Communist Party and state, without the love of the people, there would have been no Fan Bingbing," she added.

Fan's case was seen as a warning from President Xi Jinping to other celebrities not to cross the Beijing government.

Mulan is not due out until March 27, 2020. It remains to be seen if the calls for a boycott, by then will have lost its steam or gained momentum.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

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