China Local News
Online Anger over Inappropriate Toast by Dutch Watch Brand Executive at Chinese Dinner Party
This is how NOT to do a toast in Dutch!
UPDATE: FYI – the videos relating to this incident have been taken offline after the publication of this article. There are no active video links in this article.
The Amsterdam-based watch & jewelry brand Rosefield has recently come under fire within the Chinese community in the Netherlands after a video went viral showing Rosefield’s CEO and its Head of Sourcing proposing an unusual toast at a Chinese dinner party.
The video, that was viewed over 173,000 times on Dutch site Dumpert.nl, shows a woman in a white blouse bringing out a toast, saying:
“In Dutch, we say ‘ganbei’ or ‘cheers’ in this way, and it would be nice if you all can say the same, we say: ‘dikke lul.‘”
The people at the table then proceed to toast saying “Dikke lul” – which, in fact, is not the Dutch word for ‘cheers’ but for ‘big dick,’ something that the Chinese people at the table are seemingly not aware of.
On WeChat, Chinese-language newspaper Asian News (华侨新天地) reported about the video and identified the Dutch woman and man at the table as the CPO and CEO of Rosefield Watches, a fast-growing luxury brand that is active in various countries.
Asian News describes the incident as a way of “ridiculing Chinese friends,” and writes it has triggered anger online.
Asian News (华侨新天地) is a Chinese language newspaper founded in 1992. It is mainly distributed in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Its WeChat account has some 120,200 followers, and the post on the ‘cheers’ video was among its most-well read on WeChat this week.
The blog post noted that ever since the ‘dikke lul’ video has gone viral in the Netherlands, it has become one of the first results showing up when searching for the vulgar expression ‘dikke lul’ on Google.
Although it is not clear where the video was filmed and how it ended up on short video site Dumpert, it is rumored in WeChat groups that it was recorded during the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair earlier this month, and that the Chinese guests are business relations of the Dutch brand (unconfirmed).
The comment section on the Dumpert site shows that although some Dutch commenters think the video is funny, there are many who find it “vulgar,” “rude,” and “distasteful.”
Although many (overseas) Chinese expressed anger in various WeChat groups – some expressing regret over a Rosefield watch they recently purchased – the Asia News blog does remind readers that we do not know the context of the video, and whether or not there was a certain pretext or common understanding to the joke.
Nevertheless, the blog states, this kind of behavior is not professional and if a company such as Rosefield wants to earn money in China, “it should also respect Chinese culture and people.”
Although there have been ample discussions about the controversial video on Wechat, there are no online discussions about this issue on Weibo at the time of writing.
Over the past year, many foreign brands became a focus for controversy in China.
In November of 2018, Italian fashion house D&G faced consumer outrage and backlash on Chinese social media for a video that was deemed ‘racist’ to China and for insulting remarks about Chinese people allegedly made by designer Stefano Gabbana.
Swiss investment bank UBS sparked controversy in June for a column which mentioned “Chinese pigs.”
Over this summer, various foreign companies apologized to China for listing ‘Hong Kong’ as a separate country or region on its websites and/or t-shirts.
Still curious about how to actually say ‘cheers’ in Dutch? It’s ‘proost’ and this is how you pronounce it correctly.
By Manya Koetse
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China Local News
One Dead, 17 Injured in Guangxi Kindergarten Knife Attack
News of a brutal kindergarten attack in Guangxi has shocked Chinese netizens.
A brutal attack on a kindergarten in the city of Beiliu, Guangxi Province, has left at least one dead and 17 people injured. (Update April 29: Two victims have now passed away due to the attack.)
The incident occurred on the afternoon of April 28, when a man stormed into the school with a knife and started stabbing the pupils and teaching staff. The man attacked at least 16 children and 2 teachers. Blurred videos of the scene showed injured children in the playground area, some sitting up and some lying on the floor.
The 25-year-old man from Guangxi’s Guannan village was arrested shortly after the attack and his motives remain unknown at this time. One video on Weibo shows the man being taken away by police. Some online rumors (unconfirmed) suggested the man was going through a divorce and that his wife works at the kindergarten.
Local authorities in Beiliu and Yulin are calling on people to donate blood while the hospital is treating those who were injured in the attack. Images shared on Weibo showed people lining up to donate blood.
In June of 2020, a similar kindergarten attack left 39 children and staff injured.
On Weibo, the incident has become a trending topic, with many people expressing anger and sorrow over the attack.
“Is this another ‘mental disorder’ [case]?” (“又是精神病?”) many commenters write.
“This news really breaks my heart. Those poor children have done nothing wrong, they are innocent,” one person writes. Many others write that they hope the man will be severely punished. “He should be executed on the spot,” some say, with others writing: “Having a mental disorder is not an excuse.”
By Manya Koetse
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China Local News
Delivery Man in Anhui Run Over by Ambulance Sent to Rescue Him
From bad to worse: this Eleme delivery man was run over by an ambulance after being hit by an SUV.
On April 12, a delivery man in the city of Bozhou, Anhui province, was run over by an ambulance arriving at the scene of an accident where he had just been injured.
Shocking footage circulating on Chinese social media shows the delivery man lying in the middle of the road when the ambulance arrives and runs over his leg. The incident happened around 12:00 in the afternoon (link to video, viewer discretion advised).
While the delivery man already suffered injuries because he was hit by an SUV shortly before, things quickly went from bad to worse when the ambulance that was supposed to come to his rescue crushed his leg. The man is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Mengcheng county.
Statement on Weibo by the official Mengcheng county account (@蒙城发布).
According to recent news reports, the ambulance driver has currently been suspended and is under investigation.
The incident received a lot of attention on Weibo today, where the hashtag page discussing the double accident received over 150 million views (#外卖员被救护车二次碾压#).
Many comments relating to this incident are focused on the role of the traffic police at the scene of the accident, with people wondering why there was no guard standing next to the victim.
Thousands of commenters also address how sorry they feel for the victim, especially because the lives of many food delivery drivers – facing long working hours and low wages – is already tough enough.
According to Toutiao News (头条新闻), the delivery man works for Chinese food delivery giant Eleme. Wang Gang (王刚, alias) is approximately 30 years old and has a wife and a child. He had only been working for Eleme for a few months and reportedly did not have any prior accidents.
In Monday’s double accident, Wang suffered a mild skull fracture, seven broken ribs, and a fractured lower leg. He is in stable condition.
By Manya Koetse
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Darlene January
September 13, 2019 at 6:17 pm
Racism exists everywhere in this world and always initiated by those who use their white privilege to insult or berate other cultures. Regardless of the reasons why this video was captured, it was still captured.
Michael
September 20, 2019 at 7:59 pm
So for you there IS something called “white privilede”?
Nancy Wang
September 14, 2019 at 4:03 am
So disrespectful. On their social channels Rosefield is all about inclusivity, female empowerment, but here they show their true colors. The Chinese apparently are good enough to produce their products, but clearly there is a lack of respect on the side of Rosefield in this business relationship.
Lisa
September 14, 2019 at 9:15 pm
Yes, you are right. This is unacceptable, even primitive behavior, such companies should be excluded from any cooperation-nothing justifies such behavior.
Sunny
September 19, 2019 at 9:21 pm
I watch the Rosefield ‘big dick’ video in a wechat group too today, it has offended many people. In the group someone mention that the department store Nordstrom has decided to no longer work with watch brand Rosefield because of this inappropriate behaviour by the CEO. I think it is the only right decision.
Amy
September 23, 2019 at 10:43 pm
I read today that Bloomingdales did the same thing: no more Rosefield product at Bloomingdales. I am not sure if these two Rosefield employees will be allowed to ever enter China again in the future.