But the month-long pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have echoed in the larger world of Chinese pop culture. A number of prominent Hong Kong celebrities have come out in support of the demonstrations, which are being led by the city's university and high school students. These include celebrated actors Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung, musicians Anthony Wong and Denise Ho, and others.

Some across the border in mainland China are not so impressed. According to the New York Times, online petitions have proliferated around Chinese social media, calling for a boycott on such "good-for-nothing" artists. The Times reports:

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[Some Hong Kong celebrities] are being shunned by fans and companies in China, on whose support many of their careers depend. Arms of China’s state-run news media have denounced them as disloyal to their country. Photographs of a list containing the names of Wong, Ho and other artists were circulated on social media this week. The list was said to be a blacklist of pro-Occupy artists that had been drawn up and sent to mainland news media outlets and entertainment companies, with instructions not to mention or promote the stars.

Earlier this month, Chow, one of the celebrities in the crosshairs, had expressed support for the protests, who have been occupying some of Hong Kong's busiest thoroughfares as acts of civil disobedience. “I’ve met the residents, the students," he told the Apple Daily newspaper. "They are very brave and it’s touching to see that they’re fighting for what they want." He called on to government to come up with a solution to address the students "reasonable" demands.

When asked recently whether he feared the impact of a rumored Chinese boycott on his career, he dismissed it off-hand: "I'll just make less then."

Chow is famously wealthy — he recently offered to donate 1 billion Hong Kong dollars ($164 million) to charity.

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Others are perhaps more dependent on the mainland's purse-strings. Last week, we watched the awkward spectacle of smooth jazz icon Kenny G's seeming embrace of the protests, followed by a hasty disavowal of any political intent. "I don’t really know anything about the situation," he wrote on Facebook after being photographed at one of the Occupy sites. The long-haired American saxophonist was scheduled to play at a gaudy golf club across the border in the Chinese megacity of Shenzhen.

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And not all Hong Kong movie stars are as sympathetic as Chow. WorldViews earlier covered how famous Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan was no fan of the protests. The kung fu action star remains popular in the mainland and condemned the demonstrations for hurting Hong Kong's economy. The actor has riled many in Hong Kong in the past with his incendiary, Beijing-friendly comments.

"I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled," he said in 2009. "If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."