Hebe, Taiwan’s pop song queen, has not performed in China for two years due to being questioned by mainland Chinese netizens about her political stance. She was recently “allowed” to perform, and was invited to the Tianjin Music Festival. However, unexpectedly, she faced opposition from “little pinks,” leading the organizers to urgently announce on the 27th that Hebe would not be participating in the performance.
Hebe sparked controversy two years ago during the visit of former U.S. House Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan when she posted a photo of herself eating Italian pasta on IG, which was seen as being related to advocating for Taiwan independence. Additionally, her song “Island” lyrics stirred up disputes, causing backlash from the “little pinks” and leading to her music being banned in China. When the organizers of the Tianjin Music Festival announced on April 22 that Hebe would be the closing guest performer, fans were very excited.
However, the lifting of the ban on Hebe faced resistance and boycott from some netizens, who demanded refunds from the organizers. Despite the anticipation of many fans for Hebe’s performance in Tianjin, they couldn’t overcome the unreasonable protests of the “little pinks” who demanded, “Why can’t the problem be solved by just saying ‘I am Chinese and do not support Taiwan independence’?”
Hebe subsequently retweeted the announcement of the cancellation of her performance by the organizers, saying, “It is regretful that I won’t be able to meet everyone in Tianjin during the May Day holiday as planned. But my heart is still warm, my songs are still singing. We will meet again in the future, and I believe our next encounter will be the best time. I wish everyone peace and enjoy a wonderful holiday and music feast.”
Many fans left comforting messages such as “Looking forward to next time we meet,” “It’s okay, we will see you in Hong Kong,” hoping to hear Hebe’s angelic voice live in the future.