South China Sea arbitration has sparked nationalistic responses among many Chinese netizens, with some celebrities facing hostility for not seeming patriotic enough for these angry posters.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled last week that there is no legal basis for China's nine-dash line.
Many popular entertainers took to Sina Weibo to protest the ruling. Celebrities that posted about the ruling included martial arts star Donnie Yen, popstar Lu Han and the teen group TFBOYS, according to Sina Entertainment.
"Showing patriotism should be praised, especially among celebrities who can also drive the emotion of their fans," Hu Xingdou, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology and expert on China's social problems, told the Global Times.
Jia Nailiang, an actor with more than 51 million followers on Sina Weibo, earned nearly 1 million likes from users for his plethora of patriotic posts about the ruling.
"Long live China! Good job, Jia!" wrote Sina Weibo user "Yunzhong Liangduohua."
However, Hong Kong singer and actress Charlene Choi, who posted a photo of herself at work on the night of July 12, several hours after the arbitration result was declared, was criticized for not adequately defending China by many netizens.
"The country is facing danger, and you are here posting on Weibo," Sina Weibo user "A Little Star in the Sky" commented under Choi's post.
On July 13, Choi replied by saying that "I don't need to say that I love my country all the time. I didn't say anything when I donated to schools and disaster zones in the Chinese mainland… We are all making efforts to make contributions to society."
Choi's response won her more than 60,000 likes and 25,000 comments, with many people showing their support for her stance.
