Beijing Pops: Chinese Actress Angelababy Criticized For Using English Name
Chinese screenwriter Wang Hailin has caused a bit of controversy on the Chinese web, saying in a recent post on Weibo that Chinese actress Angelababy should no longer use her foreign name. In the post he stated “Yang Ying cannot use the name Angelababy anymore, and La Mu Yang Zi, [another Chinese actress with a foreign sounding name (birth name Li Jiaqi 李嘉琦) ], should also use her Chinese name."
In the post, Wang backs up his argument by citing Chinese National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) rules which state that domestic entertainers are not allowed to use names in foreign languages or names that appear foreign.
Angelababy, whose birth name is Yang Ying (杨颖), was born in Shanghai to a Shanghainese mother and a father who is of German-Chinese heritage. Her family moved to Hong Kong when she was 13.
Angelababy's former husband, Huang Xiaoming, revealed in an interview that when she was young she was often called "Baby" as a nickname, and later decided to add Angela (her English name) in front of Baby to form the stage name Angelababy, which she has been using since her debut on screen in 2007.
Wang Hailin's statement that Angelababy should adopt her Chinese name in accordance with NRTA rules invited heated debate among netizens. Some of them thought that Wang should just mind his own business and stop worrying about what stage name Angelababy uses.
“In our junior high school, our teacher would give each of us an English name. Why does't Wang tell every English teacher to stop giving English names to their students?” one netizen said.
Others mocked Wang for overreacting, with another netizen saying “If he really cares so much about Angelababy's name, he might as well tell foreigners who are learning Chinese to stop adopting Chinese names too.”
In contrast, some netizens didn't see much of an issue with Wang’s post. “There is a deeper Chinese culture attached to the name Yang Ying, and I don't think there is anything wrong with the suggestion.” Said one netizen.
In response to the heated debate online, Wang revealed that the NRTA rule he was referring to is not new and has been in place for about 20 years. In the post he said “I was working on a drama show 20 years ago and there were many characters with English names, however, all these names were changed to Chinese names once the show was broadcast.”
“I just randomly said something that I assumed most people already knew and I'm surprised that this post has caused so much backlash online.” Wang continued.
While Angelababy and her team have remained silent on the issue, the actress's recent posts on Weibo seem to suggest that her English name is here to stay.
Angelababy posted the picture above on her Weibo, perhaps to poke fun at Wang's comments.
Despite the controversy, Wang's comments came as no real surprise to netizens as he already has a reputation for being critical of Chinese celebrities. This also wasn't his first attack directed at a specific Chinese celebrity. In the past, Wang has also called out celebrities like Xiao Zhan, Dilireba, and Cai Xu Kun for a variety of reasons. Although some praise him for being direct, others find Wang's remarks to be controversial.
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Images: Weibo
