During the Paris Olympics, a mainland Chinese influencer posted a video on Douyin, claiming that the Paris Longemont Hotel had refused to hang the Chinese Communist Party’s five-star flag, prompting him to request a check-out and later go to the hotel to demand the flag be hung, to no avail. The hotel eventually issued an apology, and the Chinese travel website also removed the hotel from its listings.
Just when the situation seemed to calm down, a TikTok account named “Free Fujian” uploaded a video titled “Taiwan is not equal to China” on August 18.
The video shows a Chinese man dragging a large Chinese Communist Party’s five-star flag to the outside of the Paris Longemont Hotel and holding up a banner in front of the hotel. He then zooms in closer to show the flag under his feet. The 58-second video has no voiceover or on-site dialogue, only accompanied by cheerful music.
The account that posted the video, “ziyoufujian Free Fujian,” states in its profile: “Support Taiwan independence, thank the Republic of China (Taiwan) for allowing Fujian descendants to live freely, democratically, and prosperously… Expose the true China, reveal the stories behind the news! Oppose the dictatorship of the Communist Party.”
The videos on the account mainly contain anti-Communist messages.
On August 13, the mainland influencer known as “Teacher Zhang” posted videos on platforms like Douyin, stating that when he and his production team checked into the Longemont Hotel on August 11, they saw national flags of Olympic participating countries hanging inside the hotel, but noticed the absence of the Chinese Communist Party’s five-star flag. He then informed the front desk that they had a five-star flag ready.
The front desk explained that it was a decision by the management and they couldn’t hang it for him, saying, “You can’t decide on the decorations of the hotel.” “Teacher Zhang” requested to speak with the hotel manager, who refused, saying, “Today is Sunday,” leading “Teacher Zhang” to request a check-out.
Later, “Teacher Zhang” spoke with a Chinese chef claiming to be the executive chef of Chinese cuisine at the Paris Longemont Hotel, who said that there used to be a five-star flag hanging, but the Taiwanese general manager, surnamed Su, ordered it to be removed, and his protest was futile.
The video upset many mainland Chinese internet users, calling for a boycott of the Longemont Hotel and claiming they would not stay at any hotels under the Longemont brand again, citing the reason as “opposing Taiwan independence.” Booking platforms like Ctrip and Meituan also delisted the hotel.
However, Taiwanese people have different perspectives. A Taiwanese university student told Radio Free Asia that after watching the video, he felt that “Teacher Zhang” had overreacted.
Another interviewee, Miss Zheng, said, “I have quite a rich travel experience. I’ve been to many countries, and most hotels don’t hang our ‘Republic of China flag.’ The five-star flag is usually displayed. If they occasionally encounter a hotel without the five-star flag, I feel the mainland Chinese internet users really don’t need to be overly alarmed, affecting their own interests. We Taiwanese people should take it in stride, not have our hearts shattered at every little thing.”
On the X social platform, many people commented in simplified Chinese expressing their views.
“What is lacking is a sense of boundaries, a giant baby without self-awareness who always needs to be directed, demanding the world revolves around him. Is this condition treatable?”
“Every day shouting for unification by force, sending fighter jets to harass Taiwan from time to time, how much does it take for people to be sick of you? Why should they hang your flag? They have the freedom not to hang it, and it’s crucial to understand that their actions haven’t violated any laws. It’s important for those with underdeveloped intelligence to learn to think about problems from multiple perspectives.”