Taiwanese singer Hebe (Tien Fu-Chen) was scheduled to participate in the “Bubble Island Music and Arts Festival” in Tianjin on May 2nd. However, due to politically sensitive issues, the event was re-evaluated and subsequently canceled, as it faced resistance from some young patriotic Chinese fans. The organizers announced the cancellation of Hebe’s performance on the 27th. Hebe retweeted the statement expressing regret that she couldn’t meet everyone in Tianjin as planned during the May Day holiday but hoped for another opportunity in the future.
Hebe faced resistance from mainland Chinese netizens because on the 24th when she promoted and shared information about her Tianjin performance on Weibo, she mentioned “being together is the most beautiful little luck.” Mainland netizens discovered that this text was deliberately deleted by Hebe from the organizers’ copy, which read, “being together as a family is the most beautiful little luck.” Consequently, she was questioned for not acknowledging the unity of both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Moreover, her past actions, including eating spaghetti during the 2022 visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and singing the song “Outlying Islands” years ago, have led to her being labeled as a Taiwan independence activist by some mainland netizens.
During Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Hebe posted a photo of herself eating spaghetti on her social media. The caption of the photo caught the attention of many mainland Chinese netizens. In the caption, Hebe stated that she had just woken up and found her face swollen, so she quickly ate a bowl of spaghetti to calm herself down. After this post was published, many mainland Chinese netizens believed that there was an implied meaning, especially since it was posted during Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and Pelosi herself is of Italian descent. Consequently, many people began to question Hebe’s stance on political issues.
The event organizers released a statement on the 27th, citing “event preparations” as the reason for Hebe not participating in the performance at the SOSO STAGE of the Bubble Island Music and Arts Festival in Tianjin on May 2nd. They once again apologized to everyone for the inconvenience and thanked them for their understanding and support of the music festival. Hebe (Hebe) posted a photo of herself happily eating pasta, but the accompanying text was interpreted as supporting Pelosi and “Taiwan independence,” leading to criticism from mainland netizens.
Hebe also reposted the organizer’s announcement on Weibo, writing, “It’s regrettable that I can’t meet everyone in Tianjin as planned during the May Day holiday, but my heart is still warm, and the songs are still being sung. We’ll meet again in the future, and I believe it will be the best time. Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday and music feast.” However, comments in the section still included remarks such as, “Just saying ‘I am Chinese, I don’t support Taiwan independence’ could solve the problem, why not?” “It’s okay, don’t need to come anymore in the future,” and “There are no idols in front of the country, this applies to any celebrity.”
Hebe’s management company, Happy Music, later responded, “Due to security considerations, the organizers of the music festival decided to cancel this performance. Hebe was deeply sorry upon hearing the news and regretted not being able to meet fans on stage as scheduled. However, she believes there will be another opportunity and looks forward to meeting through music at the most beautiful time.” Hebe’s mother also left a message below the relevant fan page, saying, “Thank you all for your concern. Hebe is fine, just let things take their course.”