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posted by martyb on Sunday September 18 2016, @03:38AM   Printer-friendly
from the beware!-beware! dept.

Beijing (AFP) - The publisher of Chinese national carrier Air China's in-flight magazine apologised Thursday for allegedly "racist" travel advice offered to passengers visiting London, as mainland social media users rushed to defend the controversial tips.

The latest issue of "Wings of China" ran an article detailing safety tips for travellers based on the race and nationality of local residents.

"London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," the article said in English translation below a Chinese text, according to a photograph published by CNBC.

"We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling," it added.

The Chinese version was worded slightly differently, stating that such neighbourhoods were "comparatively more chaotic" -- an adjective often used to describe dangerous areas.

The English translation prompted London MP Virendra Sharma, who emigrated from India to Britain in the 1960s, to complain to the Chinese government.

"I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," he said in an online statement.

"I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately," Sharma said.

In a Chinese-language statement Thursday, the publisher attributed the "inappropriate descriptions" to editorial errors, stating that they were at odds with the "original intention to actively promote the beautiful scenery of London".

https://www.yahoo.com/news/british-mp-hits-racist-air-china-london-tips-011816101.html

A number of other news sources are carrying the story, with varying degrees of indignation.

CNBC has coverage including an image of the offending text.

Additional Coverage:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/08/air-chinas-magazine-says-media-readers-misinterpreted-london-travel-advice.html
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/07/air-chinas-safety-tips-for-london-visitors-may-raise-eyebrows.html


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 18 2016, @05:47AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 18 2016, @05:47AM (#403303)

    Sounds more like your friend is a tourist attraction.

    Oh, he was. It took quite a few years of the odd Japanese person showing up asking to take his picture before he got wise to how this came about ("sure are a lot of Japanese people around").

    But still, the stereotypical hippy is pretty much white. It's just another designation for the type of neighborhood he lived in. If you had a map labeled "gangsta" for Detroit ("take him to Detroit"), it wouldn't have the same cultural misunderstanding. It would be closer to Koreans saying "nega".