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Another day, another blackface scandal in Asia, this time involving a group of actors performing at a comedy show that was supposed to celebrate Chinese-African ties. The performance, which many are deeming racist, was watched by 800 million people, according to The Independent. It featured an Asian woman with a fake ass, brown makeup and tribal garb carrying fruit on her head. Beside her was an actor dressed as a monkey.
“This year’s CCTV Gala, China-Africa ties was portrayed in a comedy show with belt & road themes, inflatable animals, and a Chinese woman in blackface declaring ‘I love China!'” one Twitter user wrote. “One thing that ruined my Chinese New Year.”
Another user stated the performance left her feeling shook, adding, “Racism is global y’all.”
“I’m soooo proud for being Chinese, but in this case, I feel ashamed of my ppl,” she continued. “I apologize deeply on behalf of my ppl.”
We’ve stated this so many times by now, but this isn’t the first time China’s been hit with racism accusations. You may remember that in October the Hubei Provincial Museum in China received quite a bit of flack for its “This Is Africa” showcase. The exhibit, which displayed photos of Black people from Africa next to photos of wild animals, included a picture of a young boy next to a chimp with both their mouths agape.
There was also that infamous Chinese laundry detergent ad that showed an Asian woman throwing a Black man in the wash, only to have him re-emerge as a fair-skinned Chinese man. And then there was that time that WeChat, a popular social app in China, had to issue an apology after its software translated a word that commonly means “Black foreigner” to the n-word.
Should we keep this list going or…?
