Starring in a Marvel movie doesn't save this actor from China's scrutiny

China introduces new child-focused restrictions 3:40

Hong Kong (CNN) -

Simu Liu, star of the new Marvel blockbuster "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," has received positive reviews around the world since the film's release, with one notable exception: her birthplace.

In China, where he was born before moving to Canada as a child, he is coming under fire for a 2017 interview in which he allegedly described the country his parents left in unflattering terms.

The video, originally posted by the Canadian public broadcaster CBC, is no longer available on its website.

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The comments reappeared this week on Chinese social media platform Weibo, and the reaction was swift.

"Is this the superiority of the 'upper class' Chinese?" Read a comment, a sarcastic term that refers to Chinese who leave the country to study or live abroad, with a meaning similar to "whitewashed" .

Other Weibo users threatened to report or boycott the film if it was released in China.

CNN reached out to Marvel's parent company Disney for comment.

Liu is the latest celebrity of Chinese descent to be singled out for comments perceived as critical of mainland China.

And the list grows, reflecting mounting pressure on what the Chinese government calls "overseas Chinese."

The term "overseas Chinese" has been widely used by Communist Party officials and state media in recent years to refer to foreign nationals or residents of Chinese descent, regardless of their nationality or how many generations of their family have lived abroad.

Since President Xi Jinping took office, he has repeatedly asserted that overseas Chinese also belong to the nation, purposely blurring the line between ethnicity and nationality.

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In a 2017 speech, Xi vowed to "unite the overseas Chinese" with their relatives in China "so that they can join our efforts to revitalize the Chinese nation."

And last October, "he emphasized uniting the large number of overseas Chinese to make the Chinese dream come true," the state media Xinhua reported.

This, combined with the rise of nationalism and patriotic rhetoric in recent years, has put heavy scrutiny on high-profile figures of Chinese descent, who are often branded by some in China as "disloyal" or "traitorous" if they criticize the country or its government.

For example, when filmmaker Chloé Zhao, born in Beijing but a resident of the United States, won an Oscar for her film "Nomadland" this spring, her victory was censored on the country's social media and ignored by state media. all because, in a 2013 interview, he described the China of his childhood as a place "where there are lies everywhere."

Although Zhao spoke proudly of his Chinese roots at the Oscars, he had to deal with attacks from Chinese nationalists online, illustrating the decreased tolerance for criticism of China, especially for celebrities in the world. world stage.

The news about the Oscars that China censored 0:54

The same tensions have been revealed in the controversy over dual citizenship.

China does not officially recognize dual citizenship, but in previous decades it was applied loosely, especially as the country opened up and more Chinese citizens began to travel abroad to study or work.

However, under Xi, the government has cracked down, encouraging the public to report people who secretly hold two passports.

Those who are discovered may have their access to public services restricted.

Celebrities with two passports have also come under scrutiny from Chinese public opinion, demanding that they prove their loyalty to mainland China, leading many to publicly renounce their foreign citizenship.

Nicholas Tse, a Hong Kong actor who also has a Canadian passport, said in an interview broadcast by state broadcaster CCTV last week that he was applying to renounce his Canadian citizenship.

"Tse said that he has a responsibility to spread Chinese culture and spirit in the world," reported the state nationalist tabloid Global Times.

Arthur Chen Fei-yu, a US-born Chinese-American actor, also renounced his US citizenship in July.

In the announcement on Weibo, his study said that Chen "has always unconditionally loved the great motherland," completed with various emojis of the Chinese flag.

As political tensions mount and Xi intensifies his nationalist campaign, Chinese descendants around the world are forced to grapple with issues of loyalty.

This has been especially serious during the pandemic, in which racism and hate crimes against Asians have increased.

It does not matter that many descendants of Chinese have rejected the term "overseas Chinese" or have rejected the attempts of the Communist Party to claim Chinese identity.

However, for those in the public eye, declaring a side can have a huge impact on their careers and public image.

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In 2020, China surpassed the United States to become the world's No. 1 film market, after years of rapid growth.

This means that celebrities of Chinese descent have good reason to think twice about angering the public or the nation's government: An inappropriate comment could trigger boycotts or online attacks, and end the success of a star in the world. country.

And it is a weapon that fans are willing to use.

After Liu's comments came to light this week, a Weibo user commented: "Now you need Communist China to promote your movie and contribute to your box office? How ironic."

But on the other hand, those who fully embrace China risk alienating Western fans as US-China relations worsen, putting ethnically Chinese stars on a tightrope that seems to be every time. narrower.

Censorship in China Marvel Movies