Chinese actor Zhu Yilong, an ambassador for Canadian sportswear brand Lululemon, attended a brand event at the Great Wall in Beijing last May, where he performed the drums alongside a drum troupe and participated in a yoga session. The brand’s promotional materials described the performance as a “Chinese drum” showcase.
However, percussion professionals later claimed the instrument used actually resembles a Japanese taiko drum, sparking concerns over cultural misrepresentation and prompting backlash from Chinese netizens. Zhu Yilong seemingly playing a Japanese taiko drum on the Great Wall” quickly shot to the top of the hot search, with netizens later noticing that the brand had removed related promotional materials. Critics argued that the Great Wall is a symbol of the China’s resistance against foreign invaders, and that the appearance of what was perceived as a Japanese cultural symbol at such a cultural landmark showed disrespect for national sentiments.
On June 17, Zhu Yilong’s studio issued a statement addressing the controversy. Zhu Yilong’s studio said it had immediately urged the brand to verify and review the incident. The statement emphasized that the actor and his team have always been committed to promoting traditional Chinese culture and remain dedicated to ensuring cultural expression is handled with rigor and accuracy. Canadian brand Lululemon also issued an apology, saying it takes public feedback seriously. The company admitted limitations in their knowledge and acknowledged that greater care should have been exercised during the review for the drum performance. The brand apologized to both the public and Zhu Yilong and confirmed that all related promotional materials had been removed.
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Wendy
Ouch what a PR disaster! I hope the actor isn’t blaimed too much for this; he showed up to do his job and he did it; he’d not a historian and likely he trusted the brand to have provided the right materials for the setup. I’m no expert on drums; I would definately make the same mistake! I wonder if the brand knew that the drum was the wrong kind or if they also were told that it was a historical Chinese drum? But what a bad look… The brand certainly got traffic but such a terrible mistake. They’ll need to prove that they are willing to learn about China’s history and culture if they at all want to better their reputation. A part of me always feels sorry for performers caught up in brand culture fiascos like this; I know the performer is supposed to vet the brand before working with them, but when you have a rushed schedule you trust that the people working with you know what they’re doing. Who would show up to a set and ignore the director and crew’s instructions to go Googling if all the objects are historically accurate? Really the fault lies in whomever got the props… though I saw a Youtube film industry commenter talk about how a lot of advisor people are either ignored on set or aren’t hired to begin with. I love watching ‘An Expert Reviews’ or ‘How Real Is It?’ Youtube industry behind-the-scenes videos; they are so fascinating!
Anon
This kind of mistakes are not uncommon in a multi-racial country. Even in the same country, the PR department couldn’t seem to do a thorough research and sometimes misrepresent the culture of an ethnic group for another one causing racial tensions.
Since I have never heard of this brand before, I did a google search. It said the founder deliberately chose the name lululemon because it contains 3 Ls and he thought it funny to watch how the Japanese are going to cope with this name because the Japanese doesn’t have the L sound in their language. With this kind of arrogance and insensitivity towards other peoples and cultures from the top, I doubt this company paid any attention to cultural sensitivities. It’s probably “Just get a big drum” order.
But then the Chinese branch should have given their feedback, unless they were totally ignored. Even the drum performers might have known whether it was a Chinese drum or Japanese drum since they are more familiar with different types of drums than those not in this music genre.
Du
That story has a context and background that you may have missed starting with his previous venture Homeless, but most importantly the founder stepped away from Lululemon in 2013. If they did not do things in correct manner for almost 15y they would have disappeared long time ago.
Anon
Thanks for the context.