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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
(Score: 3, Interesting) by turgid on Sunday September 18 2016, @09:59AM
Mrs Turgid is from a "rough area" of South London, and is still quite sensitive about it. The English have great hangups about social class, where they grew up and what school they went to.
Mrs Turgid was very poor for a long time as a child and lived in a council house (social housing). Her mother was ill and often struggled to work, but did what she could when she could,
Here's the problem. Every so often some kind of crime gets committed, and reported in the not-very-clever sensationalist newspapers (Sun, Daily Mail, Express...) and, of course, that area gets associated with that crime.
Sometimes you can just say "Cromwell Street" and people shiver and convulse.
You also have various "types" of people living in certain areas ("housing estates" is a euphamism beloved of our retard-press). People are labeled as belonging to a "community" (another lazy euphamism). Before you know it, the Great Unwashed have built up a catalogue of geographical, classist and racist prejudices.
There are lots of teenagers living in Greater London, and that means gangs and knives.
There are places with high concentrations of Muslims of various strands. There were one or two incidents a few years ago of angry young "Asian" men telling white people to go away since "this is a Muslim area." We have white Muslim's too. Mrs Turgid's old boss was one (the bacon-eating, beer-drinking kind).
By the way, if you're ever on the train going through Finsbury Park, you can see Abu Hamza's mosque on the left.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].