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China's leading lady Gong Li, best known for her role in Memoirs of a Geisha, is being accused of treason by her irate compatriots for becoming a Singaporean citizen.
The 43-year-old actress embodies Chinese womanhood in the way Catherine Deneuve is an icon in France, so her decision was always bound to cause trouble.
State media ran images of the actress with her hand on her heart being sworn in at a ceremony alongside 149 others at the Teck Ghee Community Club in the island state, which has a large Chinese community. Her husband is the Singapore businessman Ooi Hoe Seong, whom she married in 1996.
Angry bloggers said Gong was betraying her Chinese roots.
"She earned enough money in China, didn't she?" wrote one online commentator on Sina.com. "Why do we make her money for her, just so she can take the money and run?"
Another said: "I'm disappointed in her. Why do rich and famous people all want to change their nationality?"
China Film Group said on its website Gong was viewed internationally as the pride of China, and it could make Chinese audiences unhappy if she went on to win prizes abroad as a Singaporean star.
For many years Gong was the darling of the arthouse film circuit as the partner and leading lady of avant-garde director Zhang Yimou. Her movies with him included Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern and The Curse of Golden Flower.
China does not recognise dual nationalities, but travel restrictions forced many Chinese celebrities to take citizenship elsewhere.
- INDEPENDENT
