Taiwanese actress Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄), who was in tears following a row in which members of Taiwan’s delegation to the Tokyo International Film Festival were unable to walk the “green carpet” because of Chinese opposition, quickly became the subject of a spat between fans on both sides of the Taiwan Strait who have split into pro-Hsu and anti-Hsu camps.
Having wept openly at the opening ceremony, Hsu made several entries on her microblog to express her frustration afterward. Hsu said she “wanted to cry but had no tears left” and that “some things that happen just can’t be helped.”
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi (舒淇) attempted to comfort Hsu, saying: “There are too many things we’d like to solve but can’t. If you’re tired, go to sleep. Your health, at least, is one thing you can make sure of.”
Controversy brewed over Hsu’s tears as Chinese and Taiwanese fans argued it out in comments posted on her blog. The pro-Hsu netizens sympathized with her and other members of the Taiwanese delegation for their frustration, while the other camp accused the actress of playing to the cameras for publicity.
The controversy also drew attention on China’s Web portal Baidu, with more than 80 percent of Chinese posters saying they would boycott any performance by Hsu in China. Some Chinese posters even blamed the festival’s Japanese hosts for the incident.
“It’s the Japanese up to their tricks again, creating divisions between Taiwan and mainland China,” one poster said, while another commented: “The Japanese are stirring up trouble on purpose, but the Taiwanese are dancing to their tune.”
Some even suggested that the argument over what name the Taiwanese delegation would use had something to do with the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and that Taiwan was acting like a gun in Japan’s hand.
As the Taiwanese delegation was unable to walk the green carpet at the event’s opening ceremony due to vehement opposition by the Chinese delegation over the delegation’s use of the name “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei” or “Taiwan, China,” Taiwanese actor Alec Su (蘇有朋), who starred in the Chinese movie Love Song of Kangding (康定情歌), was criticized for “putting fame before country” by performing the film’s theme song during “China Night” on Monday evening.
Su may well have known he was the only Taiwanese performer that night, as he looked distinctly uncomfortable when he realized Taiwanese journalists were present. He decided not to attend the press conference that followed, citing a “stomach ache.”
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