The intricacies of cross-strait diplomacy may not have been uppermost on her mind, but Katy Perry caused a stir in both Taiwan and China with her politically tinged attire at a Taipei concert this week.
Singer-songwriter Perry moved fans to tears on Tuesday, according to local media, after she appeared on stage draped in a Republic of China (ROC) flag at Taipei Arena, while donning a glittering gold dress adorned with sunflowers — the symbol of the Sunflower movement last year.
Photographs and messages that read: “I am so moved,” “awesome” and “I love you” were posted on the Internet afterward, though it is still unclear whether she meant to make a political statement with her attire.
Photo: AFP
The flag was reportedly given to her by a member of the audience.
“Beautiful. Taiwan loves you,” read a message left by Chien Yi-ting on a fan page on Facebook, where many fans posted photographs of flag-clad Perry.
“She’s so great. Wearing the flag. So many [Taiwanese] entertainers dare not do it,” another message by Chang Fu read.
However, some Taiwanese fans voiced concerns for Perry, fearing a possible backlash from China.
“She will have trouble holding concerts in China,” a Facebook message posted by Wang Tsai-chen said.
“Her move touched a nerve in the sensitive cross-strait ties. Some Chinese fans are worried that she could be blacklisted and urged fans not to post that photo on Weibo,” the Apple Daily said.
Perry, 30, known as “Fruit Sister” in China because of her colorful costumes, also managed to upset some fans.
“I’m so disappointed with Fruit Sister’s behavior,” one said.
Others said the move may have been an opportunistic one by pro-independence Taiwanese aware that Perry had worn the sunflower outfit on previous occasions.
“I think maybe some Taiwanese people have found the connection between her costumes and the flag and then brought a flag intentionally to the scene. It’s just terrible,” a message on Sina Weibo read.
Perry’s US publicist was not immediately available for comment, but an official from the Taiwanese concert organizer said the costume was not meant as a political statement.
“We did not prepare the flag for Katy Perry. The sunflower dress is part of her regular concert attire and there is no political implication for it,” the official at Fanta Integrated Marketing Co said.
This is not the first time pop stars have attracted attention in Taiwan and China for perceived political stunts.
In 2013, Taiwanese singer Deserts Chang (張懸) was forced to cancel a performance in China amid controversy about her display of a ROC flag at an overseas concert. The incident sparked criticism from Chinese netizens, as well as a war of words on the Internet between Taiwanese and Chinese.
Pop diva Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹), also known as A-mei (阿妹), was blacklisted by China for several years after she sang the national anthem at the 2000 inauguration of president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
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