Japanese video game developer Capcom has been heavily criticized for replacing the flag of Hong Kong with that of the People’s Republic of China.
Japanese video game developer Capcom recently released Arcade Stadium on the Nintendo Switch, a collection of classic video games ranging from 1943: The Battle of Midway to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper FightingThe release includes a number of changes to those games, some of which have resulted in backlash in Southeast Asia.
Super Street Fighter II included a significant change in the flags that appeared on the character selection screen. In particular, the flag of Fei Long, which used to be that of Hong Kong SAR, has been replaced by the flag of the People’s Republic of China. It should be noted that the flag has been replaced once before in 2018, from the British Hong Kong flag (aka the Dragon and Lion flag) to the modern Bauhina flag.
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It is important to note that tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China have increased since the pro-democracy protest that broke out in 2019, resulting in the imposition of the National Security Act that took effect in July 2020. The new legislation imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing is seen by many as a sweeping set of laws that criminalize any actions and utterances that could encourage support for Hong Kong’s independence or any form of opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.
Street Fighter II‘s Fei Long was inspired by iconic Hong Kong-American action star Bruce Lee. Lee is credited with reshaping the portrayal of Asian people in Hollywood movies. More recently, Lee’s name has been mentioned in the context of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, as his famous quote ‘Be water’ inspired the tactic that enabled the protesters to continue to demonstrate despite law enforcement attempts to suppress them. through the use of brutal tactics. The movement has consistently received widespread support from neighboring regions in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the world.
Source: Twitter, via The Stand News
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