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Singer¡¦s PRC concert
reportedly at risk
BEIJING BUMP? Deserts Chang¡¦s agent said they
had not heard from the organizers about the Dec. 30 show, while two DPP
officials urged young Chinese to show respect
By Chris Wang and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter with staff writer
and CNA
Mainland Affairs Council Minister
Wang Yu-chi yesterday tells lawmakers during a question-and-answer session at
the legislature in Taipei that he hopes Beijing will not block Taiwanese singer
Deserts Chang from giving concerts in China.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts
Chang¡¦s (±iÄa) concert in China next month might be canceled after scores of
Chinese netizens threatened to boycott her over what they said was her
pro-independence stance shown by holding a Republic of China (ROC) flag during a
concert in the UK on Saturday.
The Hong Kong-based Phoenix New Media Web site yesterday reported that the
Chinese organizers of Chang¡¦s Dec. 30 concert at Beijing¡¦s Wukesong Arena have
received a cancelation notice and are waiting for an official announcement.
However, some Chinese media outlets have reported that the concert would not be
postponed or canceled because it was approved by the Chinese government, and
that the organizers had only decided to postpone a press conference scheduled
for today.
Chang¡¦s agent, Tsai Yu-ching (½²¥É«C), yesterday said they were waiting for the
Chinese organizers to clarify the flag incident to the Chinese authorities and
that no decision would be made until they heard back from concerned parties.
¡§As long as there are willing audiences, Chang will sing,¡¨ Tsai said.
During Saturday¡¦s concert at the University of Manchester, Chang took an ROC
flag from a group of Taiwanese fans, unfurled it on stage and introduced it ¡X in
English ¡X as her nation¡¦s flag, a move that apparently upset Chinese students in
the audience.¡¨
She later said her introduction of the flag was intended for audience members
who looked puzzled about the flag.
However, some Chinese netizens later responded angrily, calling Chang a ¡§whore
trying to dredge for money in China.¡¨
¡§I am not singing to make money and to harm people at the same time ... If the
public cannot view the incident and my well-meant intention to start a dialogue
[with the Chinese woman] with an ordinary state of mind, I am willing to cancel
my concert and take on any losses as a result so as to end the discontent and
troubles caused to the organizers,¡¨ Chang wrote in a posting on her Facebook
page on Tuesday.
She also wrote that ¡§a lot of our views are sometimes not our own, but are what
we hear from others or have instilled in us by education.¡¨
Chang wrote that she often heard people say ¡§no politics tonight¡¨ or ¡§no race
issues tonight¡¨ when she was studying abroad. When people say those things, they
lose opportunities to understand differences, she wrote.
During a question-and-answer session at the legislature yesterday, Mainland
Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (¤ý§µa) said that his heart would be
¡§wrenched¡¨ if Chang had to cancel the Beijing concert because of Saturday¡¦s
incident.
¡§The incident underlines the common problems young people from either side of
the Taiwan Strait may encounter when interacting with each other¡K The council
will do its best to let China know about how Taiwanese feel,¡¨ Wang said, adding
that he believed Chang handled the situation properly.
The director of the Democratic Progressive Party¡¦s (DPP) Department of Youth
Development yesterday said it supported the singer, and he urged young Chinese
to show ¡§rationality and empathy¡¨ to her.
¡§Introduction of where one comes from and the flag of one¡¦s nation, in our view,
would be something everyone does in a public setting,¡¨ Chang Chi-chang (±i°òªø)
said in a press release.
¡§When the Chinese young people said ¡¥no politics today,¡¦ they were trying to
bully an artistic performance with politics,¡¨ he added.
Chang Chi-chang said young Chinese should think about why their Taiwanese peers
always deeply care about Taiwan¡¦s flag and why people around the world could
speak about their countries and flags with pride in front of Chinese, except
Taiwanese.
He said Taiwanese at various international competitions have also had the flag
taken from them by Chinese officials or nationals.
¡§I would say that the reasons behind those incidents have been far more than
politics. They also involved a lack of empathy and rationality on the part of
young Chinese,¡¨ said Chou Yu-hsiu (©P·®×), the department¡¦s deputy director.
Increased understanding and engagement across the Taiwan Strait would only be
possible and meaningful with the foundation of empathy, rationality and mutual
respect, Chou said.
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