After his support for Tibet activists, films by Hollywood star Keanu Reeves (57) have been removed from major video platforms in China. His action films “Matrix” or “Speed” might no longer be found on Saturday on Baidu’s largest service, Iqiyi, or on Tencent’s QQ-Video.
China’s censorship apparently took offense at his appearance at a concert by the New York organization Tibet House. Behind it is the Dalai Lama, the exiled religious leader of the Tibetans who reports to Beijing separatism.
Poor conditions for future film projects
A search for Reeve’s Chinese name “Jinu Liweisi” on Iqiyi no longer yielded any hits: “Some results are not displayed due to relevant laws, regulations and politics,” followed an indication that the search had not returned any results.
The fact that the 57-year-old is falling out of favor with China’s censors doesn’t bode well for the star’s future film projects in Hollywood. Production companies are increasingly tailoring new films specifically for the world’s largest film market in China, where politicians decide what is shown in the cinemas – and what is not.
Other stars have fallen out of favor for showing sympathy for the Dalai Lama
It is unclear who gave the order to ban Reeves from China. “The system is so opaque that it is almost impossible to determine exactly which authority or person is responsible,” said censorship expert Alex Yu from the US organization “China Digital Times” of the “Los Angeles Times”. first reported regarding it.
Hollywood stars like Richard Gere and Lady Gaga had fallen out of favor in communist China because of their sympathy for the Dalai Lama or their commitment to Tibet. Like the Uighurs in neighboring Xinjiang, many Tibetans feel politically, culturally and economically oppressed by the ruling Chinese. After the communists seized power in Beijing in 1949 and the People’s Liberation Army invaded Tibet in 1950, the People’s Republic incorporated the highlands as an autonomous region. (SDA/dzc)
