Sportswear giant Lululemon backtracked,retracting a promotional video after backlash over using a Japanese drum at a Great Wall event. The video was meant to showcase a May 30 yoga gathering in suburban Beijing,featuring Chinese actor Zhu Yilong and the Fanxiang Drum Corp .
As video spread on social media,critics jumped in. Music experts noted Zhu used a Japanese wadaiko,not Chinese drum. Xu Yang,drum player and Central Conservatory of Music grad,voiced online, “The drum beaten by Zhu Yilong should be categorised as Japanese wadaiko based on its appearance, performing format and the core elements in its performance.”
Xu stressed Great Wall's cultural weight. He warned using a Japanese drum there could mislead public,especially youth,and stir painful WWII memories of Japan's invasion of China . “It also touches the sorrowful memories of the public and hurts the feelings of the Chinese people,” he noted.
Lululemon's move to pull the video shows just how sensitive cultural symbols are in China. Brands face tricky terrain when dealing with such diverse markets…
