Qiaobi

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Qiaobi is a domestic Chinese brand of cleaning products. Back in 2016 they made a commercial that backfired due to racial issue to black ethnic.

Apparently, the advert had been broadcast in China for months, without much controversy, before the flicker of internet discontent was picked up by the local English-language website. It shared a link to the ad and, in a matter of hours, it had gone viral, sparking a global debate about racism.[1]

The Plot

A young Chinese woman is doing her laundry service. Then a black man comes in, with paint streaks on his face and shirt. They're looking at each other suggestively. She places a detergent tab in his mouth and then puts it in the washing machine. Hey, Voila! He appears as a fair-skinned Chinese man. Apparently, the lady doing the washing is pleased by the strength of the detergent.

Qiaobi.jpg

Why is it Controversial

In 49 seconds of commercial Qiaobi advertised the efficacy of its cleaning power by showing a young woman putting a Black man in a washing machine and then dragging a light-skinned Asian man out of his spot.[2] This gesture was deeply criticized and denounced by racial prejudice.

"This ad is blatantly racist... it's also a reminder that attitudes over race and skin colour in China can be very bad," said Vox.com.[3]

Apology

The producer of Qiaobi apologized to the public for the contentiousness of the advertisement. And in an apology statement late Saturday, Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics Ltd Co also criticized international media for amplifying the commercial. It first emerged in March, but was suspended in the midst of demonstrations this week, after widespread media reports of the controversy. "We express our apology for the harm caused to the African people because of the spread of the ad and the over-amplification by the media." it said. "We sincerely hope the public and the media will not over-read it."[4]

The firm confirms it has withdrawn access to the advertisement, and would like everyone to avoid posting it publicly.

External Link

Watch the ad at Youtube

References

  1. The Guardian, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  2. Bloomberg News, June 25, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  3. The Straits Times, May 28, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  4. BBC News, May 29, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2020.