- Famous Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse says he has applied to give up his Canadian citizenship
- He says his sense of being Chinese has only grown stronger as he got older
Nicholas Tse Ting--fung plays a key role in the Raging Fire movie. Photo: Quistography LimitedHong Kong actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung has announced that he has applied to give up his Canadian citizenship, following criticism from mainland Chinese netizens of his foreign citizenship.
On Sunday, the Chinese state-run CCTV broadcaster released an interview with the 41-year-old singer-actor, who looked back at his acting career in the programme called the Perception Room.
Tse agreed with the host that his ultimate career goal was to “spread Chinese characteristics, cultures and stories to the world”.
Asked if he has felt a sense of belonging and pride in his Chinese nationality when he was a child, Tse replied that the feeling grew stronger as he got older.
Following the recent release of his Raging Fire movie, he said he was curious about what netizens thought of him and he thus he looked up at those online comments.
“My heart skipped a beat when I saw the comments asking ‘Aren’t you a Canadian?’, and I wondered why people were saying this,” he said.
“I was born in Hong Kong, and therefore, I have always been Chinese.”
Tse then disclosed that he was actually in the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship. He stressed that he felt the “responsibility to share food, music and action films from his motherland with the rest of the world”.
At the end of the interview, Tse mentioned his song, Huang Zhong Ren, which was released in 2005. He explained that this song from 10 years ago showed how patriotic he has always been – when he composed it, he had hoped to promote the “spirit of the Chinese people”.
The pop star holds dual Hong Kong and Canadian dual citizenship. He moved from Hong Kong to Canada with his family when he was only eight. He became a singer when he was just 16 years old and has risen to fame with a “bad boy” image.
Now, he is famous for his cooking show and variety shows as well as his movie roles.
Because of the years Tse has spent in Canada, he is a Hong Kong and Canadian dual citizenship holder.
Mainland Chinese citizens cannot become dual citizens, so anyone must renounce a foreign citizenship if they hope to become a Chinese citizen. Those hoping to obtain a non-Chinese nationality must also renounce their Chinese citizenshup.
Many 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 mainland 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.