In Taiwan, an Andy Lau classic sparks cross-strait controversy

Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau has found himself embroiled in a political controversy after he performed his classic song, Zhong Guo Ren, or "Chinese people," at his first concert in Taiwan in more than a decade.

- Magdalene Fung

Mr Lau's recent performance of the nationalistic song in Taipei earned the ire of some Taiwanese people, including a ruling-party politician whose critical comments online quickly went viral, sparking heated debate among netizens both in Taiwan and China.

The incident is the latest controversy highlighting how the political impact of increasingly tenuous cross-strait ties has spilled over into broader society.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Ting-yu had on Nov 2 posted a video clip from Mr Lau's concert on social media platform Threads.

It showed the singer belting out the classic as simplified Chinese text appeared on a screen behind him and a depiction of a multicolored dragon danced across the stage above him. Taiwan uses traditional Chinese characters.

"Is this a scene of Andy Lau performing in China? What a very, very 'China' stage design," Mr Wang, 55, wrote in his video caption.

"I've never heard this song before... Shocked to hear it sung tonight at the Taipei Arena!"

In an earlier post on Facebook on Oct 31, the politician had also described Mr Lau, 63, as a "pro-Communist Party artiste" whose concert was "not worth watching".

The lyrics to Mr Lau's song, which had been released in 1997 to commemorate Hong Kong's return to China, border on the nationalistic.

"The same tears, pain and bitter sufferings of the past, we bear them in our hearts. The same blood and seed, let us together realize our dreams for the future," the lyrics read.