Chinese government-run websites are removing comments discussing the “Nomadland” Best Picture and Best Director victories at the Oscars on Sunday.
Chloé Zhao, born in Beijing, became the second female and first Chinese director to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Rather than celebrating the award, Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and Zhihu removed posts discussing Zhao’s victory, multiple outlets reported.
Instead of celebrating Chloé Zhao’s wins at the Oscar and making the Chinese public feeling proud, Beijing is busy censoring her — all for a criticism she made in 2013.For as long as I’ve been writing about Chinese censorship and propaganda, I still can’t wrap my mind around it.
— Li Yuan (@LiYuan6) April 26, 2021
The censorship stems from Zhao’s criticism of China in a 2013 article published by Filmmaker Magazine. Zhao described China as “a place where there are lies everywhere.”
“You felt like you were never going to be able to get out. A lot of info I received when I was younger was not true, and I became very rebellious toward my family and my background. I went to England suddenly and relearned my history. Studying political science in a liberal arts college was a way for me to figure out what is real. Arm yourself with information, and then challenge that too,” she said.
Filmmaker Magazine removed Zhao’s criticisms from its article sometime between Oct. 30, 2020, and Feb. 15, 2021, according to archive entries on Wayback Machine. The magazine did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller’s request for comment.
The Global Times, a Chinese state-run outlet, described Zhao’s remarks as “inappropriate.” The Global Times called on Zhao to “play a mediating role in the two societies” and “become more and more mature.” (RELATED: Disney Thanks The Turpan Public Safety Bureau In ‘Mulan’ Film, Despite Involvement In Xinjiang Concentration Camps)
China often censors American pop culture stars who criticize the country. When then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted “Free Hong Kong,” China refused to air NBA games for a full season. The country also banned “South Park” over the show’s criticism of Chinese censorship efforts.