Tse Ting-fung Photo: CFP

The Hong Kong actor and chef Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, who gained wide popularity worldwide for starring in movies and TV shows over recent decades, said in a recent interview he is applying to renounce his Canadian citizenship, adding that he was born in Hong Kong and is a Chinese national. 

"I was looking through the reviews of my recent movie Raging Fire when I saw that some were questioning my nationality, saying that I am a Canadian," Tse said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television released on Sunday. 

In response to the comments, Tse said he was born in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and has always been a Chinese national, adding that he has already applied to renounce his Canadian citizenship. 

"Whether it is food, or music, or action movies, no matter what kind of content or identity, I have always wanted to spread the Chinese culture and spirit to the world," Tse said. 

He added that such a belief to spread Chinese elements had been rooted on the song The Yellow Race that he wrote over a decade ago.

Tse said he has always had a strong sense of national responsibility and the feeling is only growing stronger as he matures.

Tse is an actor, singer, songwriter, and chef. As a multifaceted celebrity, he became a TV chef and food critic in 2014. 

Tse's remarks came as Chinese authorities recently launched a campaign to clean up the entertainment industry and end the fan circle chaos. The measures came after some celebrities either seriously violated Chinese laws or harmed the Chinese people's national sentiment. For example, the tax evasion case of actress Zheng Shuang, the rape accusation against Chinese-Canadian rapper Kris Wu, and the visit of actor Zhang Zhehan to the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan.

Tse entered the entertainment industry in 1996 as a singer. He made his film debut in 1998 with the crime film Young and Dangerous: The Prequel, for which he received the Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer. In 2011, he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film The Stool Pigeon. He gained more fame after becoming a TV chef and food critic since 2014 in a Chinese food travelogue show, Chef Nic.