Editorial | China has to show its cultural confidence

China’s rising economic and technological strength has instilled pride and devotion.

The reaction of some people to the way in which Chinese are depicted on screen and in advertising campaigns may reveal a lack of confidence, but the sentiment should not be ignored by businesses and investors.

Criticism that characters or models are not portrayed in a positive enough light highlights a growing sense of nationalism. There needs to be tolerance and acceptance of diversity for the nation to move confidently forward on the global stage.

The latest incident involves an animated film, I Am What I Am, a fantasy about three teenagers in the country’s south who learn life lessons from the popular Lunar New Year lion dance. State media have praised the production for expressing cultural self-confidence and promoting national spirit.

But on social media, a campaign to ban viewing of the film is under way because of the appearance of the main characters, whose small and slanted eyes are claimed to cater to Western stereotypes of Chinese people.

The same disapproval was recently levelled at a popular snack brand’s advertising campaign and a Mercedes-Benz video for using models with similar facial features, and the French luxury firm Dior came under fire for an artistic installation involving photographs that were claimed to “smear China”.