Disney has received much criticism over shooting its new live action adaptation of the film "Mulan" in the controversial Xinjiang province of China. The said province has been in the media in recent years as the government keeps mum on serious accusations of human rights abuses occurring in the said province.

The film's lead actress Liu Yifei had also ignited threats of a boycott on the film after vocally backing police for cracking down on the unrest in Hong Kong's streets. Fans from several Asian countries called for a brush-off on the movie when the Chinese-born actress expressed support for the embattled police force accused of violence against Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters.

The film was linked to the controversial Xinjiang province after the film's final credits acknowledged and thanked a few government agencies in Xinjiang where one million citizens, majority of which are Muslim Uighurs, are allegedly detained. Included in the credits were the public security bureau in the city of Turpan as well as the department of CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee. Disney, however, has not made any comments about this.

Mulan director Niki Caro had posted photos on his Instagram in 2017, while in the capital of Xinjiang. The film's production team also did not deny they spent months in Xinjiang researching several possible filming locations.

According to a report from the BBC, the public security bureau in Turpan is responsible for running China's "re-education" camps where Muslim Uighurs are allegedly held in detention to undergo transformation of their beliefs and ideals.

In an effort to defend accusations of such, the Chinese government said the detention camps are mainly schools and are a necessity to improve their security. It cited their goal in fighting the three evil forces of separatism, terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang claiming the camps are voluntary schools meant for anti-extremism training.

The allegations came in the wake of leaked documents and testimonies from camp survivors who revealed how the high-security camps had inmates locked up, were punished and indoctrinated.

An investigative team from BBC was able to find clear evidence of security compounds built in the desert of Xinjiang. China has since denied such claims and dismissed this as "fake news."

Mulan
Walt Disney Studios
China