Jiro Wang slammed for insensitivity towards victims of Beijing floods

Beijing was ravaged by the heaviest rain in over six decades over the weekend, causing widespread flooding and the deaths of at least 30 people. Singer Jiro Wang, who has been in the Chinese capital filming My Beautiful Kingdom, was resting in his hotel room when the storm struck, where he was struck by inspiration and penned a rain-themed poem.

He wrote, "The storm outside is like someone's tears; those under their umbrellas seem aimless as the sound of the rain falling echoes the sound of their longing. I foolishly smile like a child; even if there are no clear skies after the rain, I must also paint this colourful landscape. (My) longing is a laughable tragedy, just like this unexpected rain. I can only gaze at Beijing through my window and continue waiting. How wet; good poem!"

In Mandarin "How wet; good poem!" sounds alike and became the centre of much criticism as some fans felt that his likening of the storm to his feelings was insensitive and showed a lack of compassion for the victims of the disaster.

Actress Shu Qi stepped up to defend Jiro on her micro-blog, saying, "We are in Beijing, how could we lack compassion? If you look at Jiro's micro-blog, you'll be able to tell if he has compassion or not."

Jiro's manager has clarified that the poem was written at about seven in the evening and that Jiro had thought it was just a normal storm and learned about the devastation it had caused much later.

Posted in: Jiro Wang,Taiwan