Cissy Wang apologised for inappropriate comments.
The devastating fire that broke out on 26 November 2025 at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, has now resulted in 128 deaths and 79 injuries, with many still missing. The scale of the tragedy has shocked the world. Celebrities in the entertainment industry have been posting messages of support and making donations, hoping to help Hong Kong rebuild as soon as possible. Meanwhile Hong Kong netizens have been directing their rage in several directions, ultimately questioning the eligibility of the renovation contractor. The authorities, for their part, have arrested 11 people, opening criminal investigations and a corruption probe into the incident. Eight people detained on 28 Nov were two directors of construction consultancy Will Power Architects, two of its project managers overseeing Wang Fuk Court’s maintenance work, three subcontractors for the bamboo scaffolding, and a middleman. Three others – two directors and a senior staff member of building maintenance firm Prestige Construction & Engineering were arrested. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu paid tribute to firefighters, expressed sympathy or the victims and thanked Party Secretary Xi Jinping.
Preliminary reports zoomed in on the bamboo scaffolding as the cause for the fire. There were calls for a ban on bamboo scaffolding. However, netizens pointed out that bamboo had been in use for decades in Hong Kong without any problems. Past fires in other buildings with bamboo scaffoldings did not spread the way it did at Wang Fuk Court. The problem could lie in the flammable safety netting installed outside the building during the renovation works.
Actress Donnie Yen’s wife, Hong Kong model Cissy Wang, has “unexpectedly” (to Cissy Wang) sparked online controversy with a single post, forcing her to urgently issue a public apology.
On 28 November 28, Wang posted on Instagram questioning the cause of the fire. She stated that the incident was not caused by bamboo scaffolding and suggested that the fire spread rapidly probably because contractors had cut corners, allegedly using non-compliant flammable safety netting made in China, and sealing windows with foam sealant, blocking the view of the outside. Her remark specifically naming “flammable China-made safety netting” quickly triggered a backlash on Instagram, where China’s overseas zealots accused her of “insinuating that Chinese products are inferior.”
Facing mounting criticism, Cissy Wang issued an apology on Weibo, admitting she had “shared an inappropriate message containing wording that could easily be misunderstood,” and had already deleted the post. She explained that she had originally intended to discuss the broader topic of bamboo scaffolding, but had overlooked the problematic phrasing by the original source: “For this, I am very sorry.”
Wang added that the controversy made her realise that “at a time like this, every message must be handled with extra caution.” She emphasised that the priority now should be helping affected residents relocate and rebuild. She apologised for diverting public attention and promised to be more careful in the future.
Though Instagram is outside the purview of the Chinese government, there are many watchful eyes overseas. As she and her pro-China husband still depend on the mainland market, she obediently did what every CCP-compliant celebrity would do.