Netizens slam Gong Li for renouncing China citizenship

These words were flung at Chinese actress Gong Li by Chinese netizens, after news got out last week that she had supposedly renounced her citizenship to become a Singaporean. Never mind that she has been married to Singaporean tobacco businessman Ooi Hoe Seong since 1996. The Shenyang-born Gong Li, 43, still incurred the wrath of patriotic Chinese netizens who condemned her for forsaking her homeland.

News broke last week that she was supposed to collect her Singaporean citizenship certificate in a ceremony held at the Supreme Court Auditorium last week. But she didn't show up as she was busy filming a Hollywood movie, said her Singaporean friend, celebrity hairstylist David Gan. He said that he last spoke to her in July when she was filming in Thailand, and she is probably filming in London now.

Local officials would not confirm if Gong Li had been granted citizenship, but David told The New Paper she already received her passport and pink identity card in May. This would mean she has already renounced her Chinese citizenship. China, like Singapore, does not allow dual citizenship.

This would make Gong Li the latest in a growing trend of Chinese celebrities who have embraced foreign nationalities. But netizens have not been too kind to Gong Li and her predecessors - including gongfu star Jet Li, who's now American.

On the popular Chinese portal Sohu, an article about the citizenship-renouncing trend drew a barrage of negative comments last week. One netizen wrote: 'How can you change your nationality so easily? That's no different from being a traitor.' Agreed another netizen: 'A bunch of mai guo zei (slang for traitor), such a waste that they grew up drinking Chinese milk.'

Snide remarks

Others felt that it was 'shameless' and 'disgraceful' for stars to renounce their Chinese citizenship, and that they had become unlikeable as 'fake foreigners'. Some netizens also questioned why these artistes are still active in China despite changing their nationalities. They snidely suggested that such stars should 'go back to your own home' and 'stop stealing our rice bowls'.

The storm started brewing as early as mid 2006, when a list of more than 10 China celebrities who had allegedly renounced their citizenship surfaced on the Internet. Subsequent media reports confirmed that besides Jet, acclaimed director Chen Kaige and his actress wife Chen Hong, actress Jiang Liwen and her director husband Gu Changwei, and award-winning actress Joan Chen had also become US citizens. Acclaimed veteran actress Siqin Gaowa, who was also named, confirmed to reporters that she holds a Swiss passport. She had migrated with her Swiss husband in 1987. Also named was actor Zhang Tielin, who admitted that he got British citizenship after graduating with a Masters degree in film from Imperial College London.

But there were also denials, like in the case of actor Hu Bing and actress Xu Qing. Hu Bing was said to be Thai, but his manager refuted the rumour, insisting he is 'patriotic' and holds a Chinese passport. Xu Qing's manager also clarified that she is Chinese and not Japanese like the list suggested.

But the online protests have had little impact on the careers of the named artistes. Jet and Gaowa both emerged winners at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April this year. He won Best Actor for The Warlords, while she was named Best Actress for The Postmodern Life Of My Aunt. Gaowa was also picked to be a torch bearer during the Olympics. Joan, who is married to a Chinese-American cardiologist, snagged the Best Actress award for The Home Song Stories at the Golden Horse Award last year. Director Kaige and his wife Chen Hong are in the midst of making his next mega project, a biopic on opera star Mei Lanfang.

But according to an online poll conducted early this year, Chinese netizens still preferred their stars to remain local. Qilu Wanbao cited results that about 47 per cent of respondents felt that Chinese artistes should retain their citizenship if their career is focused in China, as opposed to about 6.6 per cent who support foreign citizenship.

Ironically, one of China's least favourite stars Zhang Ziyi told Harper's Bazaar that she has never thought of becoming an American, even though she is now based in Hollywood and engaged to American tycoon Vivi Nevo. 'My kids will be American if their father is my current fiance, but I'm a Chinese national and I will always be one.'

Truth is, Ziyi holds a Hong Kong passport. She was granted Hong Kong citizenship in September last year in a merit-based immigration system aimed at attracting talents from mainland China and other countries to settle down in Hong Kong.

According to Sing Tao Daily, the biggest advantages for a Chinese national to hold a Hong Kong passport is that it accords its owner lower taxes and more visa-free travels.

More recently, Lust, Caution star Tang Wei was said to have followed in Ziyi's footsteps. Reports said that becoming a Hong Kong citizen will allow the actress to shake off her supposed ban in China due to her bold sex scenes in Lust, Caution, and help her advance in her showbiz career.