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Phoebe Zhang

Hong Kong actor and singer Nicholas Tse is applying to give up his Canadian citizenship amid rising concerns that holding dual citizenship may be viewed as unpatriotic by the mainland Chinese audience.
Over the weekend, Tse, who was in the wildly successful Chinese action movie Raging Fire , told the CCTV programme Perception Room that he is in the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship.
“Whether it’s food, music or action films, I have the willingness and responsibility to spread Chinese culture to the whole world,” he said.

Tse said an online comment about Raging Fire “made his heart skip a beat” because it asked if he was Canadian: “I wondered, why would they say that?”
Tse’s father, Patrick Tse, and Tse’s manager, Mani Fok, told the Oriental Daily that they would respect his personal decision.
Tse was born in Hong Kong in 1980. His father was a famous actor at the time, as was his mother, Deborah Lee. He moved to Vancouver at a young age and moved back to Hong Kong with his family later.
His time in Canada allowed him to become a Hong Kong and Canadian dual citizenship holder. Mainland Chinese citizens cannot become dual citizens, so they must renounce a foreign citizenship if they hope to become a Chinese citizen, or renounce their Chinese citizenship if they would like to obtain a non-Chinese nationality.
China releases plan to ban ‘sissy idols’, promote a ‘correct beauty standard’
Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers hold dual citizenship, but Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in February that the city would “strictly enforce” laws that do not recognise dual citizenship.
Although there is no official ban on Chinese stars with foreign passports on the mainland, the Chinese public occasionally criticises celebrities of foreign nationalities. Some stars have dropped foreign citizenship for a Chinese one to boost their career.
In July, US-born Arthur Chen Feiyu, the son of famous director Chen Kaige, swapped his American citizenship for a Chinese one, his studio said on Weibo.
Earlier this year, Beijing banned mentions of director Chloe Zhao’s Oscar wins. She was born in China and has spent a significant portion of her life in Britain and the US. She made comments critical of China in 2013, prompting people to question her nationality when Nomadland turned her into a household name after winning three Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards.


Liu Yifei, the China-born star of Disney’s Mulan, received criticism for giving up her Chinese citizenship.
Other top names who have changed their passports include Gong Li and Jet Li, now Singaporean, and director Chen Kaige, who is a US citizen.
No explanation as billionaire actress Zhao Wei scrubbed from Chinese internet
Tse’s announcement and declaration of national spirit came amid a sweeping crackdown on the entertainment industry by the Chinese government.
Over the summer, several policies and online censorship targeted celebrities who had behaved poorly. The stars had been accused of crimes ranging from rape, tax evasion or behaviour and speech that hurt “public order and morals”.

Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian singer, was detained by the Chinese police on August 16 after multiple women accused him of rape. He has been thoroughly censored on the Chinese internet.
Last month, billionaire actress Vicki Zhao Wei appeared to have been blacklisted by the government after her entire internet presence was scrubbed without explanation.


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Fame and celebrity

Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse is giving up Canadian citizenship amid Chinese crackdown on entertainment industry

Nicholas Tse told CCTV that he is in the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship. Photo: @chefnicookies

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== From driving luxury cars, performing on stage for his fans and cooking impressive dishes, what can't Nicholas Tse do? Photo: @??/Weibo

Zhao Wei. Photo: Wanlimu

China calls for boycott of ‘overly entertaining’ entertainers and ‘sissy idols’ in continued purge of popular culture industry

Singer and actor Roy Wang Yuan of boy group TFBoys is one of a number of pop idols who do not strictly confirm to gender stereotypes in China. Photo: Getty

BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 31: Singer Cai Xukun (aka Kun) arrives at red carpet of Fresh Asia Music Awards 2019 on October 31, 2019 in Beijing, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JUNE 22: Actor Lu Han attends Gucci Aria Show on June 22, 2021 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

No explanation as China’s billionaire actress Zhao Wei blacklisted from Chinese internet

Zhao Wei was thoroughly censored on the Chinese internet on Thursday evening. Photo: Reuters

Lin Xinru, Zhao Wei and Fan Bingbing in TV show My fair princess

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE== ==== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WEIBO === Image of Kris Wu. WEIBO

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Popular Chinese actor Zhang Zhehan has been caught in a political storm after taking photos at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, as Chinese state media launched a high-profile commemoration campaign of the 76th anniversary Japan’s defeat in World War II amid the strained relations between the Asian neighbour. Photo: Weibo

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Dual citizenship is banned in China, making it a topic of interest for ethnically Chinese celebrities of foreign nationality
China launched a campaign to crack down this summer on the behaviour of celebrities



Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse said he is renouncing his Canadian citizenship and said his role is to promote Chinese culture worldwide.


Asian cinema

Cinema

China’s crackdowns

Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse is giving up Canadian citizenship amid Chinese crackdown on entertainment industry

Dual citizenship is banned in China, making it a topic of interest for ethnically Chinese celebrities of foreign nationality China launched a campaign to crack down this summer on the behaviour of celebrities

Dual citizenship is banned in China, making it a topic of interest for ethnically Chinese celebrities of foreign nationality

China launched a campaign to crack down this summer on the behaviour of celebrities