They see pleasing the state as an effective way to reach the market.
The Chinese government has a new ally when it comes to pushing its official line on Taiwan: celebrities.
Tension over the status of the island, which is claimed by Beijing as part of its “One China” principle, have been exacerbated by a series of recent incidents, including a high-profile visit to the island by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and comments by President Joe Biden suggesting the US would be prepared to defend Taiwan “militarily”.
It has led to an angry response from officials in Beijing, who have accused the US of violating its long-standing commitment to abide by its One China policy. But it has also seen a renewed propaganda push aimed at getting the message of unification to the Chinese and Taiwanese public.
As experts in Chinese cultural politics, we have noted how the highly contentious series of events not only reshaped the regional dynamics around Taiwan but also permeated into popular culture in China – with celebrities being utilised to circulate One China messaging to fans and social media followers.
It forms part of a wider trend that we have researched and forms the basis of a forthcoming article published in China Quarterly on the political signaling of Chinese celebrities. By our analysis, 85% of the top 218 celebrities in China reposted official government messages on their social media account at least once over a six-month period we observed in the second half of 2021.
This phenomena has continued into 2022 and was seen during and after the Pelosi visit. On August 2, the day that the House speaker landed in Taiwan, the state media outlet China Central Television, or CCTV, sent out a post on Weibo, a Chinese-owned Twitter-like social media platform, with the message “there is only one China in the World”.
Within hours, Chinese celebrities started to repost this message to their extensive networks of followers. Those doing so included Xie Na, a 41-year-old popular TV host and actress with 128 million followers on Weibo, and Jackson Yee, a 22-year-old singer, dancer and actor ranked the No 1 celebrity in Forbes’ 2021 Chinese Celebrity List. Likewise, Taiwan celebrities such as Chen Qiaoen and Wu Qilong also retweeted this message, though about a day later.
Taiwan celebrities who reposted the message were lauded by Chinese media and fans for taking a clear political stance. An article in the Chinese tabloid Global Times quoted an online fan’s praise for Taiwan celebrities who reposted the One China message: “Well done! Daring to show support at this moment must be sincere.”
One celebrity news outlet went as far to post an article that listed more than 20 Taiwan celebrities who reposted “One China” and praised them for “fulfilling the responsibility to voice political support”.
