Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: Screenshot
CHINESE RAPPER WANG YI-TAI was denied permission to perform in Taiwan last month by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). This was on account of several reasons, including that Mercury Entertainment, which represents Wang, began selling tickets on July 1st.
This means that Mercury Entertainment began selling tickets before it turned in information required to be allowed to perform in Taiwan on July 10th. The performance would have taken place at Legacy Max in Taipei on September 14th and, according to Mercury Entertainment, tickets were sold out within the week.
Nevertheless, the dispute has mostly gained attention because Wang referred to Taiwan as part of China in advertising materials released to promote the tour. Many articles on the incident have framed Wang’s rejection as because of these materials, which was cited by the MAC as an affront to Taiwan’s sovereignty in a way that Chinese performers should not engage in. Yet, as observed with the late submission of information by Mercury Entertainment, this was not the only reason as to why was denied rights to perform in Taiwan.
The issue of how Chinese entertainers represent Taiwan has become increasingly sensitive in past years. Earlier this year, Chinese indie band YOUNG DRUG (回春丹) stoked outrage after a social media post on Monday that referred to Taiwan as part of China. The offending text in the post read, “From Guangxi to Taiwan, China.”
Reactions were immediate, with significant outrage online. The Taiwan Music Festival announced that it would be canceling YOUNG DRUG’s performance originally scheduled for April 6th in light of the outpouring of anger. Many reactions on social media from Taiwanese indie artists were in support of the move by the Taiwan Music Festival.
Likewise, a performance by YOUNG DRUG at Legacy’s Taipei location saw attendees raising banners supportive of Taiwanese independence or referring to Taiwan and China as separate countries. To this extent, some attendees brought Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals to the performances. Outside Legacy, Tibetan and Uyghur groups demonstrated the band. Reports indicate that attendees at the Taiwan Music Festival were originally stockpiling Taiwanese independence flags to raise during YOUNG DRUG’s performance.
Advertising for the Wang Yi-tai show at Legacy Max. Photo credit: Screenshot
Taiwanese indie rock often leans in the direction of support for Taiwanese independence. As such, the reaction is not particularly surprising. One notes that there is usually no opposition toward Chinese bands performing in Taiwan, as observed in the popularity of Chinese bands such as Wu Tiao Ren or Omnipotent Youth Society in Taiwan, or that YOUNG DAN was invited to perform at the Taiwan Music Festival, to begin with.
Still, the matter proves different than a Chinese artist not being allowed to perform in Taiwan altogether. Yet the Lai administration has likely become increasingly sensitive to the matter after instances of coordinated activity between Chinese artists and Chinese government officials.
In June, Chinese celebrity Hu Ge visited Taiwan briefly for a “youth dialogue” with Taiwanese fans at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Hu Ge arrived on June 12th for the event and left early on June 13th, framing his visit as only for the intended purpose of carrying out the “youth dialogue.”
Nevertheless, as it transpired, Hu was on the same flight as a delegation of Shanghai government officials who were traveling to Taipei to plan upcoming city-based exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai as sister cities. These exchanges take place annually and have proved especially controversial under preceding Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, during which Ko referred to Taiwan and China as “One family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, sharing a common destiny.”
As Hu was greeted at the airport by fans, subsequently photos of Hu entering Taiwan and walking alongside Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) director Zhong Xiaomin spread on the Internet. Criticisms are that Hu’s presence on the same flight as Zhong was premeditated, rather than coincidence, so as to stage this photo op intended to generate positive press for the TAO in Taiwan. The DPP later criticized the mayoral administration of Chiang Wan-an as having deliberately engineered the incident.