Taiwanese artist Wang Genghao (real name Wang Daoyang), who has been in the entertainment industry for over 35 years, spent 8 years filming in China. After returning to Taiwan earlier, he recently revealed in an interview with “Sanli News Network”: “I have been struggling to adapt for these 8 years.” He disclosed that the final straw that made him decide to return to Taiwan was being constantly pressured to make political statements.
At 57 years old, Wang Genghao rose to fame with the Taiwanese drama “Jigong Living Buddha” and won the Best Actor in a Television Series award at the 38th Golden Bell Awards in 2003 for “The Officer and the Mask.” Although a familiar face in Taiwanese television, his time in China for the past 8 years was challenging for him to adjust to.
During the interview with “Sanli News Network,” Wang Genghao listed three reasons that made filming in mainland China unbearable for him.
Firstly, he mentioned the restrictions on his roles. Wang Genghao admitted that despite speaking Mandarin fluently, he was still criticized for his “Taiwanese accent” in China, leading him to portray characters like overseas Chinese or mixed-race individuals. He had to put in a lot of effort to master speaking “standard Mandarin.”
Secondly, he talked about the strict hierarchy on sets and extravagant spending. He revealed that in China, each actor would have a dedicated car and served meals individually, while production staff had to eat sitting on the ground. Moreover, a single scene in a Chinese production might only involve 3 to 4 actors, yet there would be 8 cinematographers and 48 editors on set. He believed that the high budget for filming did not correspond well to the final product and manpower invested.
Wang Genghao expressed that what he found intolerable was the constant pressure to make statements regarding “returning to the embrace of the motherland.” He recalled that during his time filming in China, tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were high, leading many production units to push for such statements. Although he was not directly pressured at the time, this reason ultimately prompted his decision to return to Taiwan in 2019. Reflecting on the past, he lamented, “I have been struggling to adapt for these 8 years.”
When asked about the controversy surrounding Golden Horse Award winner Wu Kang-Jen signing with a Chinese entertainment company this year, Wang Genghao, drawing from his own experience, commented, “If I were Wu Kang-Jen, I might have made the same choice.” He also highlighted the strengths of Taiwan’s film and television industry, emphasizing the high level of professionalism among industry personnel and the meticulous production quality, although acknowledging the limitation of the market scale.
In fact, up until this year, following the inauguration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, the Chinese Communist Party has initiated a new wave of pressuring Taiwanese artists to make political statements. Several Taiwanese artists shared a post from China Central Television stating “Taiwan independence is a dead end, the reunification of the motherland is inevitable! China will ultimately achieve complete reunification.” In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that the CCP’s demand for political statements from Taiwanese artists deliberately creates the illusion of both sides belonging to the concept of “One China,” which does not garner recognition from Taiwanese society, only deepening their resentment and being unhelpful in cross-strait relations.