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China Arts & Entertainment

‘D&G Loves China’ Controversy: The Video, the “Racist” Designer, the Canceled Show

“D&G Loves China”, but China doesn’t really love D&G this week.

Manya Koetse

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It started with a controversial promotional video, got really messy when screenshots went viral of a China-bashing online conversation with the alleged Stefano Gabbana, started snowballing when D&G claimed the account was hacked, and ended with the cancellation of Dolce & Gabbana’s big Shanghai show. A classic trending marketing drama has captured the attention of Chinese netizens today.

One of the biggest topics on Chinese social media today is a controversy involving Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana, better known as D&G (Dùjiābānnà 杜嘉班纳 in Chinese), and the cancelation of its high profile Shanghai fashion show that would have taken place on Wednesday night.

 

1: The Video

 

The story starts with the Italian fashion house D&G’s recent campaign series “DG Loves China,” which was launched in order to promote a runway show that was supposed to take place in Shanghai on November 21st.

As part of the campaign, D&G issued multiple videos on social media. One of them shows a Chinese-looking woman – all dressed in D&G – attempting, quite unsuccessfully, to eat a large cannoli bread with chopsticks.

A male Chinese voice over in the video then suggests that the cannoli might be “too big” for the lady (watch one of the videos on Temper Magazine here).

She then takes a small part of the bread with her chopsticks, after which the voiceover says: “Right, now you feel like you’re in Italy, while you are in China.”

The campaign was promoted through Instagram and also went live on Weibo on November 18, using hashtags as #DGLovesChina# and #DGTheGreatShow#. But it was not received very well by many netizens on Chinese social media, with some calling it “outdated and stereotypical,” “racist,” or “disrespectful.”

China-focused fashion publication Temper Magazine notes that this is not the first time for D&G to trigger this kind of controversy in mainland China.

In April of 2017, netizens also reacted angrily to a series of D&G photographs shot in Beijing streets, which featured glam models next to common taxi drivers or impoverished local residents. Many thought the photos purposely showed a more ‘ugly’ side of China, instead of the more glamorous sides of the city.

This week, the D&G videos in question were pulled from Weibo following the criticism. On Twitter, the videos are still available (check one of them in embedded Tweet above to judge for yourself).

 

2: The “Racist” Designer

 

The social media storm snowballed out of control after screenshots of comments attributed to fashion designer Stefano Gabbana went viral on Wednesday, also being reposted by major Chinese state media accounts such as Global Times.

The screenshots were posted by Instagram user Michaela Phuong Thanh Tranova (@michaelatranova), a fashion business student, although it is stil unclear why this Instagram user would have a private Instagram conversation with Stefano Gabbana and whether or not they are acquainted.

Alleged screenshots of conversation with Mr. Gabbana (completely unverified but went viral anyway).

Alleged screenshots of conversation with Mr. Gabbana (completely unverified but went viral anyway).

Despite the lack of context and/or veracity of the conversation, the screenshots, in which the alleged fashion designer uses rambling texts and refers to China as the “land of sh*t” and speaks of “China ignorant dirty smelling mafia”, soon spread on Chinese social media, where many netizens called for a boycott of D&G.

“This is not just a designer, he is one of the creators of D&G,” some commenters said: “The brand literally carries his name.” And: “Congratulations with your bankruptcy.”

 

3: The Cancelled Fashion Show

 

On Wednesday afternoon, Beijing time, Stefano Gabbana published a post on his official Instagram account, in which the designer said his Instagram account had been hacked, adding, “I love China and the Chinese culture. I’m so sorry for what happened.”

Despite the alleged hack of the Gabbana account, news came out on Wednesday that the much-anticipated Shanghai fashion show of D&G, that would take place this evening, had been canceled.

“The fashion show that was planned on November 21st at 20.00 has been rescheduled due to circumstances, we deeply regret any inconvenience caused,” the official D&G account published on Weibo, just some three hours before the show would take place.

The hashtag “DG Show Cancelled” (#DG大秀取消#) had received 340 million 490 million views at time of writing, being one of the top 10 trending topics of this moment.

According to Chinese media, various Chinese celebrities, including Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) and Chen Kun (陈坤) had already refused to attend the show.

On Weibo, many netizens do not believe the claims by D&G that their account had been hacked, saying things such as: “Ha, ha, ha, your show has been canceled, you tried to make money off China, get lost!”

The Sina Fashion Weibo account has since posted photos of the fashion show venue, that is now deserted (images below).

Meanwhile, Instagram user @michaelatranova, who posted the screenshots of the conversation with the alleged D&G designer, posted on Instagram that “we all (not only us Asians) deserve a better treatment from all (fashion) brands that pretend to cater to our needs just to stuff their pockets with our money.”

Many Chinese netizens seem to agree with the Instagram user, as hundreds of Weibo commenters are calling for a China boycott of D&G.

As this story is still developing, feel free to share your view on this below in the poll: do you believe Gabbana’s account was really hacked, do you think it is an excuse, or is it irrelevant?

[Total_Soft_Poll id=”2″]

For an update of this story, please check this article!

By Manya Koetse, with contributions from Miranda Barnes

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us.

©2018 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com

Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Ed Sander

    November 21, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    Regardless of the question if the account was hacked (if it wasn’t we have probably identified the biggest idiot on the planet), the question that I’m wondering about most is: what agency were they using for this campaign?!

    • EVA-04

      November 21, 2018 at 5:50 pm

      I’m not surprised D&G would have a marketing campaign like that with the inferred sexual innuendo, they’re deliberately provocateurs in that regard. But really, where’s the harm? Are we at the point where Intersectionality and Cultural Misappropriation ruin everything?

  2. autraka

    November 22, 2018 at 6:56 am

    Best article I read about this accident. One thing I think is missing is that it is the Chinese models who are preparing for the show decided to quit the show that night. Check out this video http://n.miaopai.com/media/ZG9PxYlMIdYOGSzf-8WT2u3Tjz9MJ4hP

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Chinese Movies

Why Chinese Hit Movie “Her Story” is ‘Good Stuff’: Stirring Controversy and Celebrating Female Perspectives

China’s end-of-year movie hit, Her Story, is sparking debates and highlighting the rising influence of Chinese female directors.

Wendy Huang

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The Chinese comedy-drama Her Story (好东西, literally “Good Stuff”), directed by Shao Yihui (邵艺辉), has been gaining attention and sparking discussions on Weibo since its late November release in mainland China.

The film features an all-star cast including Song Jia (宋佳), Zhong Chuxi (钟楚曦), Zeng Mumei (曾慕梅), Zhao Youting (赵又廷), and Zhang Yu (章宇). It tells a quirky yet heartfelt story about two women: Wang Tiemei (王铁梅), a self-reliant single mom juggling life and work, and Xiao Ye (小叶), a free-spirited young woman navigating her chaotic relationships.

Their friendship begins when Xiao Ye starts babysitting Tiemei’s nine-year-old daughter, Wang Moli (王茉莉). Xiao Ye introduces her drummer friend, Xiao Ma (小马), to teach Moli how to play the drums, but Xiao Ma’s presence stirs jealousy in Tiemei’s unemployed ex-husband, who schemes to regain his place in the family. Blending humor with poignant insights, the film explores themes of imperfect love, friendship, and the messy process of rebuilding lives.

(“Her Story” poster and the director Shao Yihui)

The film also addresses a range of hot societal issues through dialogues woven into everyday interactions, touching on topics like menstruation stigma, sexual consent, feminism, and how family dynamics can impact personal development.

In just eight days, Her Story surpassed 300 million RMB ($41 million) at the Chinese box office (#好东西票房破3亿#). Two days later, on December 2, it exceeded 400 million RMB (#好东西票房破4亿#), and on December 7 news came out that it had surpassed the 500 million RMB ($68.7 million) mark at the box office.

The film also achieved an impressive 9.1/10 rating on Douban, a Chinese platform similar to IMDb, making it the highest-rated domestic film on Douban in 2024.

(“Her Story” on Douban)

Notably, 65.4% of voters awarded it five stars, while only 0.5% gave it one star.

 
Conflicting Views: From Feminist Film to Chick Flick
 

Despite its huge success, it is almost unavoidable for a movie this big to come without controversy. The film sparked debate on Hupu (虎扑), a platform focused on sports and men’s lifestyle, where it received a lower score of 5/10. While 33.1% of users gave it five stars, 58.4% rated it one star, reflecting divided opinions.

(“Her Story” on Hupu)

Much of the criticism comes from male viewers who feel the film undermines men by portraying them in non-traditional ways and omitting proper names for male characters, such as referring to the ex-husband only as “the ex-husband” (前夫). On the other hand, many female viewers resonate with the film’s female-centered perspective, with one scene blending household sounds and Xiao Ye’s recordings praised as a standout cinematic moment of 2024.

Interestingly, not all women appreciated the film either. A Weibo user, identified as a female scriptwriter for two Chinese TV dramas, emphasized that most of the producers of the film are male. She accused the director of hypocrisy, claiming Shao accepts money and resources from privileged men to create films that encourage female audiences to look down on average men.

She wrote, “I hope that everyone who believes in the ‘ghg’ [girl help girl] myth and supports female idols will also congratulate the male producers who will earn a lot of money from the film.”

Zhou Liming (周黎明), one of China’s most influential film critics, noted two extreme perspectives in film reviews. Some critics label the film as a “boxer film” (拳师电影) or an “extreme feminist film.”

However, the film itself suggests otherwise, as reflected in Moli’s line, “I don’t want to box,” when her father tries to convince her to take up boxing. Some audiences interpreted the line as rejecting extreme feminist messages.

In China, the term “boxer” (拳师) is used to critique certain feminists. The second character in the word for feminists (“权” [quán] in 女权主义者) is pronounced the same as the first character in “boxer” (“拳” [quán] in 拳师). This term often mocks behaviors seen as overly aggressive or lacking nuance in feminist discourse, such as avoiding dialogue or oversimplifying social issues.

Some also dismissed the film as a “chick flick,” a casual term for romantic comedies, which Zhou argued unfairly minimizes its significance. He likened the film to Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, suggesting that, much like Allen’s work, Her Story transcends gender differences and reflects the cultural zeitgeist of its time.

Despite the controversy, the film has been praised by notable figures like actor Zhang Ruoyun (张若昀), who called it “super good, super awesome, and super cute” (“超级好、超级牛、超级可爱的东西”). Zhang described the movie as tackling absurd yet realistic issues from a female perspective with humor and depth.

 
The Increasing Influence of Female Directors in China
 

At the end of Her Story, Tiemei’s daughter, Moli, nervously prepares for her first drum performance. Despite her hesitation, she gathers her courage and steps on stage. This moment reminded some viewers of a similar scene in another female-directed film this year, YOLO (麻辣滚烫), where the protagonist gears up for a boxing match.

YOLO is a 2024 comedy-drama directed by Jia Ling (贾玲), starring Jia Ling and Lei Jiayin (雷佳音). A comedic adaptation of the Japanese film 100 Yen Love (2014), it tells the story of Du Leying (杜乐莹), a woman facing personal struggles who turns to boxing after meeting coach Hao Kun (昊坤). Through her journey, she finds a new direction in life after their breakup. Grossing USD 496 million worldwide, YOLO became the highest-grossing Chinese film of 2024.

These parallels between Her Story and YOLO highlight a broader trend: the growing prominence of female directors in Chinese cinema. Beyond the discussions of plot and central themes, Her Story reflects the increasing success and influence of women filmmakers in the industry.

In 2024, female directors have made a notable impact on Chinese cinema, with their films achieving both critical acclaim and box office success. Their works also spark conversations about the need for more diverse perspectives in the industry.

(“The Last Frenzy” poster and the director Wu Rina)

The Last Frenzy (末路狂花钱), directed by Wu Rina (乌日娜), premiered on May 1. This comedy follows Jia Youwei (贾有为), a man diagnosed with a terminal illness, who decides to sell his assets and live fully with his friends. Despite mixed reviews and a Douban score of 5.9, the film grossed over 700 million RMB ($96 million) by May 31, becoming a major box office hit.

(“Stand By Me” poster and the director Yin Ruoxin)

Stand By Me (野孩子, literally “Wild Kids”), directed by Yin Ruoxin (殷若昕), premiered on September 13. Starring Wang Junkai (王俊凯), it tells the story of two neglected children, Ma Liang (马亮) and Xuan Xuan (轩轩), who form a makeshift family while facing life’s challenges. With a Douban rating of 6.7, the film grossed 241 million RMB by October 9.

(“Like A Rolling Stone” poster and the director Yin Lichuan)

Like A Rolling Stone (出走的决心, literally “The Determination to Leave”), directed by Yin Lichuan (尹丽川), premiered the same week as Stand By Me. Inspired by Su Min (苏敏), a 50-year-old woman who embarked on a solo road trip, the film explores themes of self-discovery and the struggles of neglected women. Featuring Yong Mei (咏梅), the film earned praise for its authenticity, achieving a Douban score of 8.8 and grossing over 123 million RMB.

To the Wonder (我的阿勒泰, literally “My Altay”), a film-like TV drama directed by Teng Congcong (滕丛丛), adapts Li Juan’s (李娟) memoir. Starring Ma Yili (马伊琍), it tells the story of Li Wenxiu (李文秀), a young woman finding her place in her hometown of Altay after setbacks in the big city. Known for its poetic storytelling and portrayal of ethnic harmony, the series has a Douban score of 8.9 from over 300,000 ratings, ranking among the top dramas of 2024.

 
“An Era Where Women Are Being Seen”
 

The growing influence of female directors has sparked discussions about how women’s perspectives are challenging traditional storytelling.

Some Weibo users compared a scene from Her Story, where Tiemei scolds a man for urinating roadside, to a similar moments in YOLO. In YOLO, Hao Kun’s attempt to urinate roadside is humorously interrupted by car headlights. Such scenes highlight how female directors reinterpret everyday behaviors, inviting audiences to question societal norms.

Her Story has already been released in several countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with more international releases to follow.

The success of Her Story, the conversations it inspires, and its contribution to highlighting female perspectives in film reflect the evolving dynamics of contemporary cinema and the strengthening of female voices in traditionally male-dominated industries.

On Weibo, many view this as a positive development. One commenter wrote:

Her Story [好东西/”Good Stuff”] is truly ‘good stuff.’ (..) At the start of this year, I watched YOLO, and at the end of this year, I watched Her Story. Suddenly, I feel very grateful to live in this era—the era where women are gradually being ‘seen.’ Both films hold very special meaning for me. It feels like everything has come together perfectly. I hope to see more outstanding works from female directors in the future, and I look forward to an era where there’s no gender opposition, only mutual equality.”

By Wendy Huang

Edited for clarity by Manya Koetse

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. Please note that your comment below will need to be manually approved if you’re a first-time poster here.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com

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China Arts & Entertainment

Chiung Yao’s Suicide Farewell Letter: An English Translation

Manya Koetse

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Chinese netizens mourned the passing of Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao (琼瑶) this week. Chiung Yao, one of China’s most beloved romance novelists, passed away at the age of 86.

Among her many works, Chiung Yao is cherished by many netizens in mainland China as part of their collective memories from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the most iconic Chinese dramas, such as My Fair Princess (also: Return of the Pearl Princess, 還珠格格), were written by Chiung Yao.

On December 4, she was found on her sofa at home, leaving behind a suicide note. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

In her farewell letter to loved ones and fans, she wrote the following:

To all my dear friends:

Do not cry, do not grieve, and do not feel sad for me. I have already fluttered away [翩然 piānrán] effortlessly.

I love the word “翩然” [piānrán]. It represents flying in the air independently, easily, and freely. Elegantly and gracefully, I have shed the body that gradually caused me pain and have ‘fluttered away,’ transforming into snowflakes flying into the sky.

This was my wish. “Death” is a journey everyone must take—it is the final significant event in life. I did not want to leave it to fate, nor did I want to wither away slowly. I wanted to have the final say in this final event.

God has not designed the process of life particularly well. When a person grows old, they have to go through a very painful period of ‘becoming weak, degeneration, illness, hospitalization, treatment, and fatal illness.’ This period, may it be long or short, is a tremendous torment for those who are destined to grow old and die! Worst of all, some may become bedridden, dependent on tubes for survival. I have witnessed such tragedies, and I do not want that kind of “death.”

I am a “spark,” and I have already burned as brightly as I could. Now, before the flame finally dims, I have chosen this way to make a light departure. I have recorded everything I wish to say in my video “When Snowflakes Fall Down” (当雪花飘落). I hope my friends can watch it a few times to grasp everything I wanted to express.

Friends, do not mourn my death but smile for me! The beauty of life lies in the ability to love, hate, laugh, cry, sing, speak, run, move, be together until death parts us, live freely, despise evil with a passion, and live life boldly. I have experienced all these things in my lifetime! I truly ‘lived’ and did not waste this life.

What I find hardest to let go of are my family and all of you. “Love” is what is tightly bound to my heart, and I am reluctant to part with you. To allow my soul (if humans even have souls) to also ‘flutter away,’ please laugh for me, sing loudly for me, and dance in the breeze for me! My spirit in the heavens will dance together with you!

Farewell, my dearest ones! I am grateful for this life, where I had the chance to meet and know you all.

Take note of the way I died: I was at the final station of my life! For those of you who are still young, never give up on life lightly. Momentary setbacks or blows may be the “training” for a beautiful life. I hope you will be able to endure those, as I did, and live to 86, 87.. years old. When your physical strength fades, then decide how to face death. By then, perhaps they will have found more humane ways to help the elderly “leave joyfully.”

Dear friends, be brave, be the greatest version of yourself. Do not waste your journey through this world! Though this world is not perfect, it is filled with unexpected joys, sorrows, and laughter. Don’t miss out on all the wonders out there for you.

There are a thousand more things to say, but in the end, I wish everyone health, happiness, and a life of freedom and joy.

This translation was previsously published on my X channel here.

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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