K-pop star Jackson Wang's rebuttal of China stereotype question from Indian YouTuber goes viral on Chinese social media

A video of Hong Kong-born Chinese K-pop star Jackson Wang calmly dismantling stereotypes about China during an interview with Indian YouTuber Raj Shamani has gone viral on China's social media Sina Weibo, sparking netizens' praise for his poised and candid responses. 

Wang traveled to India to promote his new album MAGICMAN 2 and gave an exclusive interview to Indian podcast host Raj Shamani, which was released on July 1. During the interview, when Shamani mentioned that people keep saying “you cannot talk freely in China,” Wang replied, “No, I don’t think there is such a thing.” 

When answering Shamani’s question about “what do you think the world gets wrong about China,” Wang said, “It’s a normal place… you have to go there rather than just hear what it’s about. You have to come to Shanghai, go to Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, go to the Great Wall. Just come and feel and see.”

The hashtag “Jackson Wang responds to Indian host” has become a trending topic. As of press time, it has been viewed more than 69 million times. In a poll launched by media outlet Guancha.cn on Sina Weibo on July 2, more than 4,700 netizens had participated as of press time, with more than 2,300 believing Wang’s response was proper and objective.

One netizen commented, “Seeing is believing — come experience it for yourself in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing, or at the Great Wall. Jackson Wang’s response was both sincere and appropriate, showing his impressive emotional intelligence!”