Japanese blast China’s decision to close Tang Little Kyoto project as ‘jealous’ and ‘racist’

Chinese authorities in Dalian closed a vast replica of the ancient Japanese capital on the grounds it was a ‘cultural invasion’, with some linking the move to the anniversary of the 1931 Manchurian Incident

Japanese commentators have claimed Beijing is using the incident to distract from local problems. Some call for retaliation by closing Chinatowns in Japanese cities

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Tang Little Kyoto in Dalian city in northeast China were ordered to halt operation just two weeks after opening. Photo: Weibo

Published: 5:00pm, 7 Sep 2021Updated: 9:20pm, 7 Sep 2021

The decision of the Chinese authorities to close a vast replica of the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto built in Dalian on the grounds that it is an example of “cultural invasion” has come in for heavy criticism in Japan, with many commentators claiming Beijing is using the incident for its own political ends.

Critics say this is just the latest such effort by Beijing to use the two nations’ often fraught shared history to denigrate Japan and cast the country in a negative light.

Some of the most strongly worded criticisms of the decision called it “racist”, reflective of “jealousy”, an example of communist propaganda and even part of a “cultural revolution”.

The Tang Little Kyoto project, a cultural and residential scheme in the Jinpu New Area of Dalian, opened in mid-August and was proving extremely popular with visitors until it was ordered to close at the end of the month.

It is part of a 600,000 square metre complex that broke ground in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2024. However, sections of China’s online community likened the 6 billion yuan (US$928 million) project to a “cultural invasion” by Japan.

Others linked opposition to the timing of the venue’s opening, which fell shortly before the September 18 anniversary of the Manchurian Incident of 1931, in which Japanese troops blew up a railway as a pretext for the invasion and occupation of Manchuria.

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