Selena Gomez pictured with the Dalai Lama in 2014. (Photo : Instagram/Selena Gomez)
Singer-actress Selena Gomez is under fire from the Chinese government after she posted a two-year photo of her with the Dalai Lama.
Two of Gomez's upcoming concerts in China have been cancelled due to the now controversial photo, Fox News reported. To be specific, the Guangzhou and Shanghai legs of her Revival Tour, which were supposed to take place in August, were eliminated from the official tour dates listed on her website.
The decision to cancel Gomez's concert series in China stems from her association with the Tibetan spiritual leader, who gained notoriety in the country when he fled to India in exile after a failed attempt to revolt against the Chinese government in 1959. Because of this, the Chinese government reportedly banned the singer from holding shows in the country.
The photo in question appears to have been taken two years ago, when Gomez joined the Dalai Lama in Vancouver, Canada for We Day, a project that aims to empower the youth throughout cities in Canada and the United States. The picture on Gomez's Instagram page was captioned "words of wisdom. #speechless."
The photo has since been deleted on the "Same Old Love" singer's Instagram account.
According to Shanghaiist, Gomez is not the first Western act to draw the ire of China due to associations with the Dalai Lama. In 2015, Maroon 5's concert in Shanghai was banned after it was discovered that band member Jesse Carmichael attend the 80th birthday celebration of the spiritual leader.
Bon Jovi also met the same fate when his China-tour in 2015 was cancelled. Six years ago, Linkin Park was declared banned from entering China after the group were photographed with the Dalai Lama at an event in Los Angeles.
On one hand, Gomez's camp has not issued a statement regarding the cancellation; however, she posted a cryptic message on her Weibo page expressing her excitement to see her fans on the Revival Tour.
Meanwhile, Gomez is co-producing a biopic series of her own life on Lifetime. The series follows the singer's journey as a Disney actress to her rise as one of Hollywood's most sought-after faces.
Watch Gomez's "hands to Myself" music video below:
