- Reaction score
- 1,694
Hong Kong (CNN)A Chinese anime fan says she was detained and interrogated by police after she wore traditional Japanese dress to pose for photos in the eastern city of Suzhou, sparking heated debate on China's social media over what some see as over-the-top nationalism.
Wearing a white kimono decorated with images of red flowers and green leaves, the young woman said she was waiting in line for a snack on Wednesday evening in Huaihai street, a lively food strip popular for its Japanese bars and restaurants, when she and her photographer were suddenly surrounded by police.
The woman, who goes by the handle "Is Shadow Not Self," posted details of the encounter on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, on Sunday, where a related hashtag had been viewed more than 90 million times before it was censored on Monday.
According to her post, police objected to her kimono, which she had paired with a long blond wig as cosplay of a main character in the Japanese manga series "Summer Time Rendering."
Wearing a kimono in public in China has become increasingly controversial in recent years amid a rise in nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiment. Rooted in Japan's brutal invasion of China during World War II, Chinese public sentiment against Japan has waxed and waned -- often tied to China's domestic politics and the state of bilateral ties.
But as Chinese nationalism turns more aggressive and intolerant under the leadership of Xi Jinping, fans of Japanese culture -- which had previously been popular among China's youth -- have faced growing criticism and suspicion.
edition.cnn.com
Wearing a white kimono decorated with images of red flowers and green leaves, the young woman said she was waiting in line for a snack on Wednesday evening in Huaihai street, a lively food strip popular for its Japanese bars and restaurants, when she and her photographer were suddenly surrounded by police.
The woman, who goes by the handle "Is Shadow Not Self," posted details of the encounter on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, on Sunday, where a related hashtag had been viewed more than 90 million times before it was censored on Monday.
According to her post, police objected to her kimono, which she had paired with a long blond wig as cosplay of a main character in the Japanese manga series "Summer Time Rendering."
Wearing a kimono in public in China has become increasingly controversial in recent years amid a rise in nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiment. Rooted in Japan's brutal invasion of China during World War II, Chinese public sentiment against Japan has waxed and waned -- often tied to China's domestic politics and the state of bilateral ties.
But as Chinese nationalism turns more aggressive and intolerant under the leadership of Xi Jinping, fans of Japanese culture -- which had previously been popular among China's youth -- have faced growing criticism and suspicion.
Chinese anime fan claims police interrogated her for wearing a kimono | CNN
A Chinese anime fan says she was detained and interrogated by police after she wore traditional Japanese dress to pose for photos in the eastern city of Suzhou, sparking heated debate on China’s social media over what some see as over-the-top nationalism.
edition.cnn.com
