Up until recently, Disney’s upcoming live-action version of Mulan was highly anticipated by avid fans and viewers. However, two weeks ago, Liu Yi Fei, the Chinese-born actress playing Mulan, gained attention by posting on her social media, pledging her support to the Hong Kong police force. For those who are not aware of the current situation in Hong Kong, there have been demonstrations and protests for the past few months. Hong Kong used to be under British rule, but the lease ended in 1997, and Britain returned Hong Kong to China as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). For the past two decades, Hong Kong has been governed by China, but many Hong Kongers do not associate themselves with China.
These boycotts started in response to the Hong Kong government’s proposal of an extradition bill in February 2019. If enacted, this bill would allow China to extradite or remove fugitives from mainland China. This looming possibility is threatening Hong Kong’s autonomy and its citizens’ rights. The demonstrations began in early March and April but escalated in June. More than 1 million people (of 7.4 million residents) peacefully marched in the streets of Hong Kong; however, the march took a dark turn when the police showed up. Riot police used tear gas, water hoses, rubber bullets, and other forms of physical violence against the protesters.
Two weeks ago, the citizens also demonstrated in the Hong Kong International Airport, resulting in the cancellation of all flights and the shutdown of the Internet. The police began deploying tear gas and threatening citizens with guns. The Hong Kong police even grabbed innocent bystanders and started inappropriately touching and hurting them. People started even forming human chains to protect each other from being taken away. Below is a graphic video that shows the Hong Kong police brutality at the protests.
So how is this related to Mulan? Well, Liu Yi Fei, Mulan’s leading lady, posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter, the phrase “I support Hong Kong police force. You can beat me up now. What a shame for Hong Kong”.
This message was shared to her over 65 million followers and garnered significant attention not only in China, but also worldwide. Her statement received different reactions from the public, ranging from agreement to disgust. Many people took to Twitter, which is blocked in China, to express their disdain with the hashtag #BoycottMulan. One commenter said, “Do I want my kids to watch the Disney movie and look up the actress Crystal Liu Yifei to find out that she supports the Hong Kong police brutality and violence? What a shame for Disney”. Liu Yifei is a naturalized American citizen, and from this privileged stance she is, “enjoying freedom and democracy in the US while suppressing Hong Kong people who are fighting for freedom and democracy”. It is rather hypocritical because “Mulan” is a story about a female warrior who fights for her family and country. Now, the people in Hong Kong are fighting for their own families and their country. The ongoing fight for Hong Kong’s independence seems to have no end, but only time can tell.
