Gossip mill: Hu Ge makes secret donation to Wuhan but unaware netizens criticise him - and other entertainment news this week
The note (right) that Hu Ge wrote to the staff of the children's hospital he donated to.
PHOTO: Weibo/胡歌, Weibo
PUBLISHED ONFebruary 09, 2020 1:00 AMByBryan LimHU GE MAKES SECRET DONATION TO WUHAN HOSPITAL BUT UNAWARE NETIZENS CRITICISE HIM
Numerous celebrities have stepped up to contribute to the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus. Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu bought 10,000 masks from Japan to donate to Wuhan, Singapore group By2 "swept up" face masks in Singapore for China, and even Mandopop King Jay Chou and wife Hannah Quinlivan made a cash donation.
But one name that apparently didn't appear in the public sphere was famous Chinese actor Hu Ge. The absence of his contributions led netizens to call him out, according to Chinese reports. However, it was recently revealed that the 37-year-old deliberately stayed under the radar and has already donated 100 air purifiers to a children's hospital in Wuhan. He also wrote a note to the hospital staff to thank them for risking their lives on the frontlines.
Celebrities who publicly reveal their donations are scorned as trying to gain publicity, while those who do it discreetly get condemned. It seems there's just no way to please the masses.
ANITA YUEN AND JULIAN CHEUNG'S SON INJURED OVER CNY
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It's been a tough Chinese New Year with the coronavirus outbreak but for celebrity couple Anita Yuen and Julian Cheung, their troubles hit home.
The 48-year-old Hong Kong actress published an Instagram post on Thursday (Feb 6) to explain why her family has been so quiet the last few days. She revealed that her 13-year-old son Morton got into an accident and injured himself. Anita also shared photos of him wearing a cast and with an IV drip. Thankfully, Morton has already been discharged and is recovering at home.
Anita wrote: "Please forgive us for not visiting because we want to share the good and not the bad (over Chinese New Year) and we didn't want to bother everyone. We hope that everyone stays healthy."
The actress also took the opportunity to thank the medical staff who attended to Morton during his stay in the hospital.
XIANG YUN, ZHENG GEPING AND OTHER CELEBRITIES TALK CORONAVIRUS IN DIALECT
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In an effort to reach out to the Chinese dialect-speaking demographic, public service announcements regarding the Wuhan coronavirus have been made in dialects, with the help of popular local veteran actors.
A series of one-minute videos were released on Feb 5, and featured Xiang Yun, Zheng Geping, Chen Tianwen, Chen Shucheng, and Richard Low. Speaking in Cantonese, Hokkien, and Teochew, the artistes informed the public of several important things to note during this period of time.
If you would like to watch all three videos, check it out here.
bryanlim@asiaone.com