"Not Chinese"... Jet Li and Liu Yifei, Will They Be Added to China's Blacklist?

China's Rumors of Expelling Foreign National Celebrities... Impact of the Red Rectification Campaign

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As Chinese authorities tighten regulations on celebrities, there is speculation that the next targets will be foreign-nationality celebrities. In particular, the list of those to be expelled includes Hong Kong action star Li Lianjie (Jet Li) and Liu Yifei (Liu Yifei) from the movie "Mulan," causing a stir.

According to recent reports from Taiwanese media such as Liberty Times, news that the next phase of China's "Red Rectification Campaign" targeting celebrities will focus on those with foreign nationality is rapidly spreading online.

The list of those to be expelled includes action actor Li Lianjie, famous for "Once Upon a Time in China" and "Swordsman," and Liu Yifei, the lead in Disney's "Mulan." Additionally, a large number of Chinese-speaking stars such as Xie Tingfeng, Zhang Jielin, Wei Wei, Sun Yanzi, Taiwan's Wang Lihong, Pan Weibao, and Zhao Yuting are included. They hold foreign nationalities from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Singapore.

Notably, Li Lianjie was born in Beijing, China, in 1963 but changed his nationality to the United States in 1997. Later, in 2009, he changed his nationality once more to Singapore.

In Liu Yifei's case, she immigrated to the United States at age 10 and currently holds U.S. citizenship. However, Liu Yifei is known as a representative "pro-China" celebrity and during the Hong Kong democracy protests in August 2019, she posted on social media saying, "Hong Kong should be ashamed." Chinese netizens are shocked that even Liu Yifei, who was friendly to China, is being mentioned as a target for expulsion.

Jet Li (Li Lianjie) attending the LA premiere of the movie 'Mulan'.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the media reported that there is no official confirmation regarding the authenticity of this news. Nevertheless, it added that China's National Radio and Television Administration is pushing for measures to restrict appearances by celebrities with foreign nationality.

The media stated, "The National Radio and Television Administration is promoting a 'nationality restriction order' for foreign-nationality celebrities," and "regulations on them are expected to begin soon."

It continued, "It will not be easy to see foreign-nationality celebrities on the Chinese stage again in the future," and "they will also find it difficult to receive the high appearance fees they used to get."

Meanwhile, Huang Kunming, deputy head of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, reportedly demanded a strict renewal of the atmosphere in the field during a video conference on June 3 regarding the implementation of the "Comprehensive Rectification Work Expansion Notice in the Cultural and Entertainment Sector." This appears to mean stronger regulations on celebrities' high appearance fees, private life issues, and large fandoms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.