Arun Venugopal: Welcome back to The Takeaway, I'm Arun Venugopal. After being postponed for nearly six months because of the pandemic, this weekend audiences were finally able to watch the live action remake of Mulan for an extra $30 on Disney+. The film is based on a Chinese myth and stars a predominantly Chinese cast. Since it won't be getting a theatrical release in the US, Disney is counting on the film to be a massive hit in China when it premiers in theaters there this week. Since the first trailer premiered last year, though, Mulan has started a controversy in Hong Kong and abroad with some saying the House of Mouse has become too subservient to the Chinese government. A call to boycott the film even began last year after it's star Liu Yifei posted support from the Hong Kong police on a Chinese social media site platform as the police force continued to crack down on pro-democracy protestors. Joining now is Frankie Huang, a freelance writer, and illustrator who's written about this for RADII, an independent media platform focused on telling stories about China. Frankie, thanks for being here.
Frankie Huang: Hi. Thanks for having me.
Arun: All right. Tell us how Disney and its brand is viewed in China. How much cultural significance does Disney hold there?
Frankie: Disney is a hugely important brand in China especially for people my age which is called the post-80s generation. When we were growing up in the early '90s, their huge domestic animation that's equal in quality to Disney. For a lot of us, we grew up on Disney IP. It represents a part of a carefree childhood that's very dear to us. Today, Disney has become synonymous with childhood. Every child knows Disney and its characters as well as American children.
Arun: What is your experience in memory of the original Mulan, the animated one? What does it mean to you?
Frankie: I was actually already living in the US by the time it came out. It as very significant to me to be recognized or rather to recognize myself in a Disney princess which I never thought would happen. It was very meaningful to me even though at the same time, I think I was a little bit miffed by some of the details that were not quite right. It felt a little bit careless by the creators who I think could have done better homework on Chinese culture. Still, it was a movie that I really love from my childhood.
Arun: Is it something that you find is common with people of your generation?
Frankie: I think the Asian Americans probably have much fonder memories of the animated Mulan just because its representation and I think her struggle to please her family is something that resonates a lot with us. Not to say that it doesn't with children in China, but I think its reception was quite lukewarm when it was released. There were some cultural inauthenticities. People wanted to see something a little bit different, I think.
Arun: Which is ostensively what this Mulan, the live Mulan was supposed to be something different, I guess. Can you tell us what the star, Liu Yifei, made-- The comments that she made on Chinese social media last year?
Frankie: Well, as you mentioned earlier, during the height of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, there was increasing incidences of police brutality against protestors much like what's happening here in the US. There were beatings, there were tear gas, rubber bullets. She commented on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging platform supporting the police. Basically, instead of being neutral or maybe avoiding the subject, she made it clear where she stood. This is something I think quite unusual for a Disney star because Disney tries really hard to stay apolitical and family-friendly. In the past, I know they've reprimanded young stars for more like inappropriate or indecent behavior. Under other circumstances, I would have expected Disney to reprimand her. After she made that comment, Disney remained silent even until now.
Arun: The company remains silent. The cries on social media grow. Did the Chinese government get involved in any way?
Frankie: No, but I think, in a way, their involvement can be seen in the way they don't do anything, if that makes sense. On Chinese internet, the government censorship is quite rampant. The fact that they didn't amplify necessarily, but it was clear that the government saying nothing is tacit approval.
Arun: Has this sipped into the Mainland populous? Are they aware of this and rallying around her?
Frankie: They are. She has billions of followers on the platform. When she made that statement, the film and Liu Yifei herself, got a huge boost. People praised her for being a patriot for supporting justice because at the time, the response to the Hong Kong protests in Mainland China was quite negative, or at least negative on the internet where posts were not censored. You can see a lot of people calling them thugs, calling them rioters. Again, very similar to what's happening domestically in the US now. She was definitely praised for taking a political stand.
Arun: Disney has been censored by the Chinese government in the past, correct?
Frankie: Yes.
Arun: How has it responded to those instances of censorship?
Frankie: The short version is that they groveled to get back into the good graces of the Chinese government because that market is just irresistible to them.
Arun: How does Disney compare to other studios? Are they all groveling before the government?
Frankie: I think Disney probably goes further to grovel than others, or perhaps it's because Disney has a much larger investment in the China market compared to other studios because beyond the movie business, they also license their trademark to hundreds of local companies to sell everything from sneakers to lunchboxes to makeup. They also have the Shanghai Disney Resort as well as the Hong Kong Disney Park. I think they just have a lot more at stake in terms of needing to stay on the good side of the government.
Arun: Aside from the comments made by Liu Yifei, there's another dimension to this Disney controversy which has to do with the weaker population and Disney's accommodations of security agencies that have been handling and really brutalizing them, correct?
Frankie Huang: Yes, this is the dimension that came out shortly after the film was released on Disney+ when a few sharp-eyed viewers noticed that they were thinking at least different government agencies and publicity departments based in Xinjiang which is where according to estimations, like a million people are in concentration camps. There is confirmation that director Niki Caro scouted a location in Xinjiang, and they've shot some of the scenes there as well. I think as of now, Disney didn't give any comments when different publications reached out to them. This is exactly what happened when Liu Yifei made her pro-police comments last year. I think Disney keeps trying to just let the churn of the media cycle take this away. I have a feeling they won't be able to wait this one out just because we're coming up on the election and being tough on China is something that politicians are more interested in right now. I think it's very possible that some political leaders maybe even Joe Biden or Donald Trump is going to demand that Disney take a stand on the Xinjiang controversy.
Arun Venugopal: Frankie Huang is a freelance writer and illustrator. Frankie, thank you for joining me.
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