Nicholas Tse reveals he’s giving up Canadian citizenship
The Hong Kong-born actor and singer said that he had come across online comments questioning his nationality.
Hong Kong-born actor and singer Nicholas Tse revealed on Sunday (Sep 5) that he is in the process of giving up his Canadian citizenship. He made the announcement on the China Central Television (CCTV) programme, Perception Room.
The 41-year-old Tse, whose current film Raging Fire is enjoying great success at the moment, said during the programme that he had come across online comments about the movie where some people were questioning his nationality and saying that he’s Canadian.
“I wondered, why would they say that,” Tse said, adding that the comments made his “heart skip a beat”.
He said that he has always been a Chinese national because he was born in Hong Kong and that he has always wanted to spread Chinese culture and spirit to the world, be it through food, music or action movies.
Tse’s reveal and his celebration of his national spirit comes amid China’s recent crackdown on what it views as problematic celebrity culture and behaviour. Several celebrities, such as Kris Wu and Zhang Zhehan, have faced backlash for their behaviour, while actress Vicky Zhao Wei even found herself erased from the Chinese Internet in August without explanation.
According to the South China Morning Post, while the Chinese public occasionally criticises celebrities of foreign nationalities, there’s no official ban on them being on the mainland while holding foreign passports.
Both Tse’s father and his management agency have said that they supported his decision. Tse's father, the famed actor Patrick Tse, revealed in a past interview that he moved his children to Canada so they would not get special treatment in Hong Kong growing up with a famous father.
