Uproar after Hollywood actress known for her anti-China comments starred in Chinese documentary to promote Communism

  • Bai Ling appeared in a Chinese TV show to express love to Communism
  • The 55-year-old had been known for her anti-China comments in the past
  • Chinese public and media were enraged by her role and called it 'an insult' 
  • The producers have removed her part and Bai had issued a public apology 

By Tracy You For Mailonline

Published: 12:38 EDT, 4 November 2016 | Updated: 19:18 EDT, 4 November 2016

The Chinese public and media have voiced anger after an American actress who is known for her anti-China comments appeared in a state-produced TV show to promote patriotism.

Bai Ling, a Chinese-born actress, had in the past openly criticised the Chinese officials and were reportedly banned from returning to her motherland.

Many people in China have questioned the authority's decision to use the 55-year-old actress in a wartime documentary broadcast by a state television station.

Bai Ling has been in hot water after she appeared in a documentary to promote Communism

The actress is known among the Chinese public for her anti-China comments. Chinese media and web users considered her role in the TV show 'an insult' to Communist history

Bai Ling posted a picture of her wearing the Red Army uniform (pictured) together with a public apology in the wake of the uproar

According to Chinese media, Ms Bai appeared in an eight-episode documentary aired on China Central Television Station.

The show is devoted to the Long March, a large-scale military retreat undertaken by the Communist Party of China during their war against Kuomingtang between 1934 and 1936.  

The sixth episode sparked an outpouring of criticism on Chinese social media after it featured Bai Ling on October 22.

The public were stunned that a patriotic documentary should cast an actress who had taken part in 'anti-China films' and made 'anti-China comments'. 

The television station was forced to remove the episode from its website and later re-posted a new show without Ms Bai's part, reported China Digital Times.

China Digital Times posted the screen grabs of the deleted scenes, which showed that Ms Bai was invited to re-live the Long March by walking along part of route and discussing her thoughts.   

Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter, was filled with angry comments by users who were shocked by the idea.

One influential Weibo user named 'Du Jianguo', who has more than 180,000 followers, wrote on October 23: 'CCTV should have invited someone with no moral and artistic standards, ugly on the outside and inside [to play a role] in The Long March.

'This is not to promote the Long March, it is to insult the Long March.'

The post has since been removed, a move thought to be done under the pressure of Chinese censors.

China's Central Television station was forced to remove the episode from its website and later re-posted a new show without Ms Bai's part

Born in Chengdu in 1961, Ms Bai moved to America in 1990 for school and started her acting career after graduating from the New York University

Not only were the web users stunned, China's state media have also expressed fury over the casting.

Global Times, a state-run newspaper, published a column on October 26 saying the decision to use Bai Ling was 'an insult to a great historic event'.

The article sided with the public in condemning Ms Bai.

It wrote: 'Bai Ling moved to the America in 1990s, made a living among the low class in Hollywood and took quite a few nude pictures. 

'[She] has also taken part in the films which were politically disagreeable with China and has even "stolen goods at an airport".'

The article also promotes Chinese TV producers to learn from the 'mistake'.  

On October 25, Ms Bai, who is American, posted a public letter on her Weibo account, expressing her total devotion to China and apologising to the show's producers for the criticism her role had drawn.

Along with the letter, she posted a picture showing her posing in a military uniform worn by the Communist soldiers during the Long March.

The post suggested that the actress consider her new career development in China a new lease of life.

Ms Bai told the Chinese public in the letter: 'Your passion and sincerity in expressing your nationalism has moved me deeply. 

'Because of you, I can say proudly: "Chinese people are the greatest people in the world, just like our Red Army soldiers who scarified themselves to fulfill their duty for revolution, for just and for their country."'

BAI LING: THE CONTROVERSIAL AMERICAN-CHINESE ACTRESS

Bai Ling was born in Chengdu, south-west China, in 1961 to a music teacher father and a dancer mother. 

She moved to America in 1990 for school and started her acting career after graduating from the New York University. 

In 1997, she starred opposite Richard Gere in Red Corner, a thriller film about an American businessman who ended up being wrongfully trialled for murder during a business trip to China.

Red Corner was critical of human rights abuse in China, which reportedly led Ms Bai to lose her Chinese citizenship and become banned from going back to her country.

She also claimed to have been sexually abused at the hands of Chinese army officers when she served as a soldier at People's Liberation Army from 14 to 17 years old.

She has also appeared in Anna and the King, Shaolin Soccer and Shanghai Baby. 

Source: Stuff.co.nz, Bai Ling Weibo 

Ms Bai wrote to her 180,000 social media followers: 'I love China. I love Chinese culture'

In the apology, she also said: 'Every bit of merits and wisdom on me was given by the Chinese culture and the land I grew up on'

Ms Bai added: 'I love China. I love Chinese culture. I often say, every bit of merits and wisdom on me was given by the Chinese culture and the land I grew up on.

'I am proud of China. I am proud of the spirit of Long March. 

'I apologise to you because I love you and our country.'  

It's unclear how Bai had returned to China to film The Long March if she had been blacklisted by the country. 

MailOnline has reached out to Bai Ling for comments. 

According to China.com, The Long March was released by the Military Programme Centre at the China Central Television Station to mark the 80th anniversary of the completion of Long March. 

The documentary's producers are yet to release a statement regarding Ms Bai and the outcry brought by her role.

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