i’m going to take a moment to deviate from my usual posts, so bear with me: the actress starring in the 2020 Mulan remake, Liu Yifei, has just voiced her support for the Hong Kong police. these are the police who have been brutalizing protestors for several months now with batons, tear gas, and rubber bullets, and recently blinded a young medic in one eye. Liu has a social media platform of 65 million followers, and has been in the national spotlight since her casting - her words have influence and impact. her conscious decision to stand by the HK police sends a clear message: that violence against civilians is acceptable as a means of control, intimidation, and suppression.
this breaks my heart. as a person of Chinese descent, Mulan’s character was a source of inspiration and empowerment throughout my childhood, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in my excitement to see the remake, but I’m even more saddened and disgusted by Liu Yifei’s support of the police. note that Liu is a naturalized American citizen, and reaps the benefits of freedom and democracy in the US while supporting those who are fighting to silence it in China.
if Mulan were real and here now, she would be out on the streets of Hong Kong, fighting for the fundamental rights of 7 million Hong Kong citizens. please, please, please consider boycotting this movie. skip it, pirate it, do what you need to do, but show that you won’t stand for police brutality.
