‘It’s only for foreigners!’: Hong Kong actor sparks outrage in China for celebrating Christmas
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Chinese social media users reportedly chastised Hong Kong actor Bobby Au-Yeung for posting a Christmas-themed video online.
Season’s greetings: The 61-year-old actor uploaded two videos to his Douyin account on Dec. 24 greeting his over 110,000 followers while wearing a Santa Claus hat in front of a Christmas tree, according to AsiaOne.
His intention to spread good vibes during the festive season was met with backlash from some of Douyin’s Chinese users who were upset with him for celebrating a "Western" holiday.
“This celebration is only for foreigners,” one user wrote, while another said, “The Chinese nation has a rich traditional culture, we have to celebrate our own occasions and be practitioners and inheritors of excellent culture,” Today reported.
Another user also referenced China’s all-time highest-grossing film “Battle at Lake Changjin,” co-directed by Dante Lam, Chen Kaige and Tsui Hark. The movie, which has grossed over 5.77 billion yuan (approximately $906 million) and won the best film award at the Changchun Film Festival on Saturday, is a fictionalized retelling of how Chinese soldiers defeated American soldiers during the Korean War’s Battle of the Chosin Reservoir.
“Did you not watch The Battle at Lake Changjin?” the user asked. “There is no more Christmas, today is just December 25.”
Support and understanding: Some of Au-Yeung’s fans, however, supported the actor on his decision to celebrate Christmas.
“There’s nothing wrong with sharing your happiness, forcing patriotism and making a big issue out of everything are the real problems,” one user wrote.
Another one said, “You did nothing wrong! You were only sharing!”
Although Au-Yeung reportedly seemed apologetic in some of his responses to his critics, the actor’s recent Weibo posts insinuate the opposite.
“Thank you to all the fans for your support and understanding,” the actor wrote. “I just have one more thing to say: I have a clear conscience.”
Featured Image via @欧阳震华 Bobby
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