BEIJING: Popular athleisure apparel brand Lululemon has apologised for using a Japanese Taiko drum during a promotional event held at the Great Wall in May, which sparked fierce backlash from Chinese netizens.The brand had organised a yoga festival at a section of the Great Wall on May 30, according to Chinese media reports. Chinese actor Zhu Yilong, also a brand ambassador, led attendees in a yoga and Tai Chi session and joined the HiiKo Drum Group in a traditional Chinese drum, or Dagu, performance.His performance caught the attention of Chinese musicians and netizens who challenged that the drum used had not been a traditional Chinese instrument - but rather a Japanese Taiko drum.
“Using a Japanese Taiko drum to showcase Chinese culture at a place like the Great Wall, which has massive symbolic meaning to the country ... would (not only) mislead the public, but also stir up historical memories of Chinese people,” said Chinese percussionist Xu Yang in a video on his Weibo page.He added that it was not right to “appropriate or misuse other people’s culture”.In a statement shared on its official Weibo account on Tuesday (Jun 16), Lululemon extended “sincere apologies to the public” as well as to Zhu.The event “always intended to pay tribute to Chinese culture”, the statement read.“Due to limitations in our understanding of the relevant professional knowledge, we failed to fully identify potential controversy in the early stages,” the company said, adding that it should have been more “prudent and thorough” with its planning.“We will deeply reflect on and learn from this experience, and will approach future events and communications with a more rigorous attitude.”
