Ouyang Nana faces backlash over independence remarks
TAIPEI: Censors in Beijing are beginning to remove photos of actress Ouyang Nana from advertorials in China after she had allegedly declared backing for an independent Taiwan.
During a controversial TV appearance, the Taipei-born star had also performed My Motherland and Me, a patriotic song from the 1950s.
The brouhaha comes amid speculation that she is a supporter of Taiwan independence because of her father, who is a spokesman for the opposition Kuomintang
Said Nana: “It doesn’t matter if I’m from Hong Kong, Taiwan or Beijing … I am Chinese – I love my country.”
She also wished the country prosperity as it marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“I hope everyone together can bravely express our viewpoints, work harder to unite, and make our country proud,” she said in the interview, which aired on Monday.
It came after Ouyang found herself at the centre of controversy last week after a Beijing TV programme edited her out of magazine images in which she had appeared with three other actresses – Guan Xiaotong, Wendy Zhang and Vicky Chen. The four are regarded as rising stars in China.
It did not go unnoticed on social media, with speculation that it was because of her father, Ouyang Long, who is a spokesman for Taiwanese opposition party the Kuomintang. Although it is seen as Beijing-friendly, the KMT takes a “no unification, no use of force” approach to cross-strait ties.
Ouyang Nana’s agent swiftly released a statement on her social media accounts in response to claims that she was a supporter of Taiwan independence, distancing her from her father and saying that she was 18 and had her own independent thoughts and will.
“(She) firmly supports the oneChina principle,” the statement read.
Nana was the leading actress in the Jackie Chan sci-fi film Bleeding Steel and has worked with screen idols including Andy Lau, Huang Xiaoming and K-pop star Choi Si-won. She has 14.3 million followers on Weibo, almost 936,000 followers on Facebook and 2.3 million on Instagram.
It doesn’t matter if I’m from Hong Kong,Taiwan or Beijing … I am Chinese – I love my country. Ouyang Nana, actress