Chinese anime fan claims police interrogated her for wearing a kimono
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.
‘Are you Chinese?’
In a video the anime fan posted on Weibo, purportedly showing part of her encounter with police, the woman can be heard explaining to an officer that she was doing a photo shoot.
“If you come here wearing Hanfu, I wouldn’t say this. But you are wearing a kimono, as a Chinese. You are a Chinese! Are you?” the police officer shouts at her in reply.
Hanfu is a blanket term for the ancient clothing worn traditionally by ethnic-majority Han Chinese before the Qing Dynasty. It has surged in popularitu in recent years amid Xi’s promotion of traditional culture.
The woman then calmly asked on what grounds she was being yelled at.
“On suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” the police said, referring to a catch-all charge often used against dissidents, journalists, human rights lawyers and activists.
The woman was then grabbed and escorted away by several police officers in a chaotic end to the video, which has been viewed more than 8 million times as of Monday afternoon.
In an earlier post on Qzone, another Chinese social media platform, the woman said police also asked her to write a 500-word letter of self-criticism.
“I feel like I have no dignity right now,” she said in the Qzone post on Friday. “The police said what I did was wrong. I feel powerless … I like Japanese culture, European culture and I also like traditional Chinese culture. I like multiculturalism, I like watching anime, is it wrong that I like anything?”
“If this is what you want to hear, I can also say it to you: Sorry, I should not have disregarded the public sentiment to walk on the streets in Japanese clothes, this is wrong and dangerous behavior. I’m very sorry for having hurt our national feelings,” she wrote on Weibo.
However, some criticized her for wearing traditional Japanese clothing. “Why does a good Chinese wear kimono?
Uncle Xi is watching you