Renowned Taiwanese host Kang Yongcai made an appearance at the campaign headquarters launch event of Shen Boyang, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for Taipei mayor, on October 4. During an interview, Kang expressed his intention to visit both Taipei mayoral candidates. Shen Boyang had previously been included in the so-called “stubborn Taiwanese independence elements” list by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), causing the topic “Kang Yongcai appearing at pro-independence candidate’s campaign site” to quickly climb to the top of the trending lists on mainland Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, leading both the overall trend and entertainment boards.
Shen Boyang, whose popularity continues to rise, held a campaign headquarters establishment ceremony in the afternoon of the 4th. Amidst the surging crowd, media and live broadcasting captured Kang Yongcai wearing a light-colored hat and black mask, dressed in an orange shirt. Although he remained low-key sitting in the audience waving an inflatable stick with the slogan “Taipei, let’s move forward,” fans were quite surprised by his presence.
Kang Yongcai’s agent responded that their team is considering interviewing both Taipei mayoral candidates (Shen Boyang and J. Michael Cole) and that Kang’s attendance was to understand the backgrounds and policies of the two candidates. When leaving the scene, Kang faced multiple Taiwanese media outlets for joint interviews and questions about whether he came to support Shen Boyang, he humbly stated, “Just here to see for myself.” As for whether he would attend J. Michael Cole’s campaign rally, Kang Yongcai responded, “It would be great if we could interview both sides.”
Shen Boyang is the founder of Taiwan’s “Black Bear Academy,” known for promoting civil defense education and anti-Communist views, which led the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CCP to label him as a “stubborn Taiwanese independence element.” In November 2025, the Chongqing Public Security Bureau of the CCP initiated a criminal investigation against Shen Boyang for alleged “subverting state power,” while CCTV aired an almost 8-minute special report “revealing” Shen Boyang, vowing to use INTERPOL for global manhunt.
The CCP’s actions sparked strong backlash from Taiwan. The Presidential Office of Taiwan stated that China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan and criticized the CCP’s claim of initiating a global manhunt for Shen Boyang as a “typical case of cross-border suppression.” Shen Boyang responded to CCTV’s documentary, criticizing it as “full of lies and fabrications.” He condemned Beijing for “trying to interfere with Taiwan’s political focus through legal battles and propaganda,” warning the CCP not to disguise its ambition to invade Taiwan with such actions.
After the footage of Kang Yongcai appearing at Shen Boyang’s campaign headquarters launch event spread to mainland China, it quickly became a hot topic on Weibo. Some netizens expressed strong dissatisfaction, calling for Kang Yongcai to be “blacklisted” and to “firmly resist the pro-independence element.” This situation left mainland businesses that have cooperated with Kang Yongcai feeling nervous.
The Chinese electric vehicle brand “ZERO RUN Automobile,” which had recently collaborated with Kang Yongcai, released a statement on the evening of the 4th, clarifying that Kang Yongcai was only a participating artist in their past collaborations and not a spokesperson. They have removed all related content and reserved the right to pursue legal action. Meanwhile, “Fashion Bazaar” also deleted promotional materials featuring Kang Yongcai from their September issue.
Additionally, Kang Yongcai’s Weibo account, which has 36 million followers, was found to have been cleared of all content. However, some opinions pointed out that Kang Yongcai had a habit of periodically clearing his Weibo content, having previously done so in December 2022 for account reorganization. The question of whether this recent action is directly related to the current events has ignited significant attention.
Apart from accumulating many fans through his previous hosting of the show “Kangxi Comes,” alongside another host, Dee Hsu, in recent years, Kang Yongcai has also hosted programs in mainland China, participated in variety shows, and engaged in other commercial activities. For mainland Chinese netizens, Kang Yongcai is the epitome of Taiwanese hosts, with his intellectual image winning him many die-hard fans.