‘You are Chinese, aren’t you?’ Shock after kimono-clad woman cosplaying as manga character is detained by police
- A woman in a kimono for a photo shoot on a Japanese-themed street in China was detained over the garment, which some consider offensive
- The woman said she was taken to a nearby police station and questioned for five hours; her phone was searched and her kimono confiscated
A scandal has erupted in China after a policeman detained a Chinese woman wearing a kimono, claiming she was “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by wearing the traditional Japanese garment on the street.
The incident happened on August 10 on Huaihai Street in Suzhou, Jiangsu province in eastern China. The street is known as a “Japanese folk culture” area with restaurants and shops carrying signs written in Japanese characters. It was built in the 1990s for Japanese expatriates working in the city.
News of the incident went viral a few days later on August 15, the anniversary marking Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II during which Japanese soldiers invaded China and killed tens of millions of Chinese civilians.
02:27
Chinese woman detained by police for wearing kimono in public
The woman, who posted her account of what happened on social media, said she was wearing the kimono and a wig while cosplaying as a popular character from a manga series.
In her video post, which went viral, the woman explained she was on the street for a photo shoot and was queuing to buy Japanese snack food when the officer approached and shouted at her.
“If you wore hanfu, I wouldn’t say this. But you, as a Chinese person, are wearing a kimono. You are Chinese, aren’t you?” the officer demanded to know.
Hanfu is the name of ancient clothing traditionally worn by Han Chinese.
