Tzuyu
Tzuyu | |
|---|---|
| 周子瑜 | |
.jpg) Tzuyu in October 2015 | |
| Born | Chou Tzu-yu June 14, 1999 |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Occupation | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | K-pop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | JYP Entertainment |
Chou Tzu-yu (Chinese: 周子瑜; pinyin: Zhōu Zǐyú; Korean: 저우쯔위; born June 14, 1999), most often credited as Tzuyu, is a Taiwanese singer. She is a member of the multi-national K-pop girl group Twice formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2015 reality show Sixteen.
A televised appearance in South Korea where she was shown holding the flag of the Republic of China sparked a controversy in China. A video subsequently released on 15 January 2016 by JYP Entertainment showing Tzuyu apologizing for holding the flag sparked further outrage in Taiwan.
Life and career
Chou Tzu-yu was born in Tainan, Taiwan in June 14, 1999. In 2012, she was seen by entertainment scouts at the MUSE Performing Arts Workshop in Tainan,[1] and went to South Korea in November that year to train as a pop star. After more than two years of training, she appeared on the South Korean reality show Sixteen in 2015, during which she was chosen as one of the nine members of the new girl band Twice. The group made its debut in October 2015.[1] Film critic T. C. Candler ranked her the 13th of the 100 most beautiful faces in 2015, and the most beautiful in China or Taiwan.[2]
Flag controversy
In November 2015, Tzuyu and her band mates appeared on the Korean variety show My Little Television. She introduced herself as a Taiwanese and waved the flag of the Republic of China alongside that of South Korea. The flag of Japan was also shown, representing some of the band's other members.[3]
The Taiwanese-born but China-based singer Huang An took to his Sina Weibo account and accused her of being a Taiwanese independence activist.[4] Just days before calling attention to Tzuyu, Huang had accused Hong Kong actor Wong He of making insulting comments about mainland China on Facebook with Wong's face subsequently being blurred out on China's state run television network CCTV and Wong issuing an apology.[5] Mainland Chinese media and netizens reacted angrily to Tzuyu, accusing her of profiting from her mainland Chinese audience while holding a pro-independence stance.[6] Soon after, Twice was cut off from Chinese television and Tzuyu was pulled off from her endorsement with Chinese smartphone vendor Huawei. JYP Entertainment was forced to suspend all her activities in China.[7]
On January 15, 2016, JYP Entertainment's president Park Jin Young apologized to the Chinese media through his Weibo account. Meanwhile, JYP also released a video showing Tzuyu reading an apology, which said in part:
There is only one China, the two sides of the strait are one, and I have always felt proud to be Chinese. I feel extremely apologetic to my company and to Internet friends on both sides of the strait for the hurt that I have caused, and I also feel very guilty.[8]
The video drew international support for her, with many Taiwanese being shocked and infuriated at the treatment of the 16-year-old.[9] The three candidates running for Taiwan's presidency all released statements to support her. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen stated that "a citizen of the Republic of China should not be punished for waving her flag and expressing support for her country, [Chou Tzuyu] has been forced to say the exact opposite of what she originally meant, so this is a serious matter and it has hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people." Meanwhile, the ruling party Kuomintang's candidate Eric Chu disapproved of the hate directed at the 16 year old, stating that he was saddened by the video, and condemned the actions of Huang An and JYP Entertainment. Taiwan's outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou also weighed into the controversy on the morning of election day, saying that she had no need to apologize. "She had done nothing wrong but was forced to apologize. I want to tell Ms. Chou she has no need to do so, we support her."[6]
The incident gained international attention as it was suggested it may affect the outcome of the 2016 Taiwanese presidential election. While Tsai Ing-wen and her pro-independence party were already winning polls months before the actual elections, the situation made some reconsider their choices.[8] On January 16, 2016, Tsai Ing-wen was made the President of Taiwan. Soon after, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stepped in to defend Tzu-yu. It stated that it is not wrong for her to hold a Taiwanese flag, showing her love for the country she was raised in. Furthermore, the MAC said it has lodged a strong protest with the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), urging it to pay a high degree of attention to the incident and to restrain its private sector, since it has seriously hurt the feelings of Taiwan's people and might further impact the development of cross-strait relations. It has also condemned Huang An's moves, saying that his personal behavior has adversely affected cross-strait ties. It called on the people on both sides of the strait to cherish the hard-earned friendly ties.[10]
Television
Reality/variety Shows
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sixteen | Mnet | Herself | Survival show that determined Twice members |
| TwiceTV | Naver TV | Herself | [11] | |
| TwiceTV 2 | Naver TV | Herself | [11] | |
| After School Club | Arirang TV | Herself | Episode 184[12] | |
| Today's Room | Mnet | Herself | [13] | |
| Pops in Seoul | Arirang TV | Herself | Episode 3033 (Pick & Talk section) | |
| My Little Television | MBC | Herself | [14] | |
| Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef Kings | SBS | Herself | ||
| Weekly Idol | MBC Every 1 | Herself | Episode 228 | |
| MBC Every 1 | Herself | Christmas Special with GFriend and Lovelyz | ||
| Two Yoo Project - Sugar Man | JTBC | Herself | with Lovelyz (Episode 11) | |
| The Body Show 2 | OnStyle | Herself | ||
| 2016 | Golden Bell Challenge | KBS | Herself | |
| Gag Concert | KBS | Herself | ||
| A Look at Myself | KBS | Herself | with Jackson of GOT7 | |
| Idol Star Athletics Championships | MBC | Herself | [15] | |
| TwiceTV 3 | Naver TV | Herself |
Videography
Music video appearances
| Year | Song title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Stop Stop It | Got7 | Herself |
| 2015 | Only You | Miss A | Herself |
| 2015 | Like OOH-AHH | Twice | Herself |
Endorsements
| Year | Product | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Skoolooks | with Park Jin-young and Twice [16] |
| LG Uplus LTE Video Portal | With Twice[17][18] | |
| Nexon Elsword | With Twice [19] | |
| KB Kookmin Card | With Twice[20] | |
| 2016 | LG Uplus Dualphone Y6 | |
| Innisfree Ampoule Intense Foundation | With Twice[21] | |
| Sudden Attack | With Twice |
References
- ^ a b Gloria Chan (16 January 2016). "Who is the 16-year-old girl at the centre of a political storm ahead of Taiwan's presidential poll?". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Tzuyu chosen as most beautiful face in China". Korea Herald. 2015-12-29.
- ^ http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/01/16/pop_star_may_have_helped_pro_independence_party_win_taiwan_presidency.html
- ^ "Chou Tzu-yu deal in jeopardy after Huang An tip-off". Taipei Times.
- ^ Hong Kong star’s face blurred out on Chinese state TV show after he shared news report suggesting former premier Zhou Enlai was gay South China Morning Post 11 Jan 2016
- ^ a b "Taiwan's presidential candidates unite after apology by K-pop singer Chou Tzu-yu over flag scandal". Shanghaiist.
- ^ "Taiwanese K-pop singer Chou Tzu-yu mired in flag row". The Straits Times.
- ^ a b Buckley, Chris & Ramzy, Austin (2016-01-16). "Singer's Apology for Waving Taiwan Flag Stirs Backlash of Its Own".
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Li Xueying (16 January 2016). "Video of K-pop singer Chou Tzu-yu apologising for waving flag angers Taiwanese on polling day". The Straits Times.
- ^ "MAC asks China to rein in private sector in wake of flag controversy".
- ^ a b "Twicetagram (Official TWICE Instagram)". Instagram. JYP Entertainment. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "After School Club TV Archive - Guest: TWICE". The World on Arirang. The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Choi, Shin Ae. "[Video] Twice Members Face Off in Fierce Scramble for Ingredients in ′Today′s Room′". Mwave. CJ E&M Corp. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ Kim, Dong-gyu. "'마이리틀텔레비전' 트와이스, 부채춤 배우기 '깜찍함 폭발'". News Nate (in Korean). SK Communications. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "::Twice:: Schedule (use arrows to navigate to 01.2016)". Twice. JYP Entertainment. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ "JYP girl group TWICE become models for 'Skoolooks' even before debut!". Allkpop. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ "TWICE and Yoo Ah In are full of charm for LG U+". Allkpop. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "Check out the sexy version of Tzuyu's LG U+ CF!". Allkpop. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "TWICE are totally badass in new 'Nexon Elsword' CF". Allkpop. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ "KB국민카드, 'KB국민 나라사랑카드' 출시". Asia Today (in Korean). Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ "트와이스 "먹는 것 좋아해, 거울보며 충격 받기도"[포토엔]". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved 6 January 2016.
