Taiwan-based singer and actor Ken Chu. Photo: from VCG

Taiwan-based singer and actor Ken Chu has been widely praised after he said during a livestream that he's always thought of the Taiwan island as a province since young and he hopes for an early reunification across the Taiwan Straits. However, his remarks also sparked attacks from "Taiwan independence" separatists. 

Chu also said that after living on the mainland, he found it to be a wonderful experience - quite different from what had been taught in Taiwan.

Born in 1979, Chu was a member of the Taiwan-based boy band F4 which was formed in 2001 with three other performers. 

The group made a surprise appearance at boy band Mayday's concert in Beijing on Sunday night.

The next day, Chu opened a livestream to interact with his fans. He said that when he was growing up in Taiwan, they always referred to island as "Taiwan Province," and he has always believed that Taiwan is indeed a province. "I never thought Taiwan could be anything else - that was the environment we grew up in," Chu said.

Taiwan authorities had long viewed the mainland and Taiwan as both part of one country as stipulated in the law, until the "pro-independence" Democratic Progressive Party in recent years pushed its "desensitization" agenda.

In the meantime, officials and the media on the island had long portrayed the mainland in a negative way.

Chu said that before the age of 20, he had barely set foot on the mainland and held quite a few negative preconceived notions. However, as he began working and living on the mainland, he started to encounter a lot of kind people and positive experiences, which changed his perspective toward the mainland.

"For example, the first time I visited Hangzhou was around 2010 or 2011. I felt the place was really wonderful - the food was great, the amenities were great. It made me start to question what had been instilled in me when I was younger," Chu said during the livestream.

Chu said it was because of this that he decided to experience things for himself. After more than 20 years, he no longer thinks (about the mainland) the way he used to and truly hopes the reunification can come soon.

Chu's remarks drew attacks on him from some "pro-Taiwan independence" netizens on the island. Some even called on him to "give up the health insurance on the island."

Meanwhile, some netizens from Taiwan supported Chu for him being honest.

Chu's remarks show that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' attempt to obstruct cross-Straits exchanges and build an information cocoon has failed, Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday. Zheng said that Chu's expression of identity toward the mainland reflects the growing trend that more and more people on the island is learning the truth about the mainland and about the reality of the mainland's policies toward the Taiwan region.

Zheng said some netizens' criticism of Chu's comments highlights the complexity of Taiwan society and the influence of the DPP's distorted pro-independence ideology, and eradicating that influence will take a long-term process.

In May, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press conference that nearly a hundred Taiwan-based performers in the entertainment industry have, in various ways, expressed their identification as a member of the Chinese nation and their concern about cross-Straits relations, including reposting posters with the theme of reunification, sharing with fans stories about their ancestral homes on the mainland and the origins of their names. Zhu said all these are genuine emotions expressed naturally.

Zhu said that the Taiwan-based entertainers come to the mainland to perform and naturally express genuine feelings while interacting with fans. "Should they be labeled as making 'political statements' just because of those remarks?" "Don't they have the right to express themselves? Who is trying to silence them?" Zhu said.

The further expansion of cross-Straits exchanges increases understanding and connection, especially among young people, and will help to break through the information cocoon and bring a clearer understanding of the truth on both sides of the Straits, Zheng added.

On Wednesday, Chen Binhua, another spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that in August a wide variety of cross-Straits exchange events will be held in Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Guangzhou, as well as regions including Hebei, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xinjiang, covering areas including youth, sports, culture, folk beliefs and ethnicities, as well as economic and trade exchanges.

Chen said these cross-Straits exchange activities demonstrate that people on both sides of the Straits are one family, eager and willing to engage with one another. Adding that "regardless of how much interference or obstruction may arise, cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation will not stop, be cut off or diminish. We sincerely welcome more Taiwan compatriots to take part in cross-Straits exchanges, enjoy the beauty and progress of the mainland, and experience the warmth of kinship."

Global Times