Dragons In the News

This article appeared in The New York Times on 4 Oct, 2004.

[full size] Chinese consumers didn't take kindly to seeing a dragon, a ubiquitous and potent symbol in China, sliding, at right, down a pole covered in Japanese paint.

A Dragon in a Paint Ad Created Heat, but of an Unintended Sort

An advertisement playing off some well-known symbols in China managed to offend Chinese consumers - its intended audience - even before it ran.

A photo of the ad concept, which was created by Leo Burnett Shanghai Advertising in Guangzhou, China (a joint venture between Leo Burnett Worldwide and a local company), showed a sculptured dragon unable to keep its grip on a pillar coated in Nippon Paint's smooth wood-coating paint. Dragons are ubiquitous and potent symbols in China, and seeing one easily defeated by Nippon Paint - a Japanese product - proved too much.

The ad appeared in the September issue of International Advertising magazine in a feature on global multicultural creativity, but had not yet appeared as part of a campaign. A negative reaction followed from the magazine's Chinese readers; apologies ensued from Leo Burnett.

"A photograph of the creative concept having been placed in International Advertising magazine in China, as an example of today's creativity in China, has since gone on to draw criticism from certain members of the public for its use of a Chinese totem, the dragon," said Trudi Harris, a spokeswoman for Burnett operations in the region. "Leo Burnett apologizes sincerely for any upset caused to the Chinese people."

Saul Gitlin, executive vice president for strategic services at Kang & Lee in New York, a multicultural marketing agency, called the ad "a political faux pas" rather than a cultural one. "China and Japan over the past 100 years have had a very complex relationship," he said.

Despite the increasingly interconnected world, or perhaps because of it, marketers can expect to experience more of the same kind of problems, said Wanla Cheng, president of the Asia Link Consulting Group in New York. "Diversity and connectedness doesn't necessarily mean that people are going to melt and blend together more," she said.

Source:
> NYTimes.com

This article appeared in Shanghai Star on 22 Dec, 2004.

[full size] Angry Dragon.

Nike's dragon-insulting ad triggers culture conflict

BEIJING, Dec. 22 -- Nike's news ads showing NBA star LeBron James battling a cartoon kungfu Master and dragons has invoked great controversy in China.

China banned the ads, describing them as an insult to the country's national dignity. The commercial, titled "Chamber of Fear" was broadcast on local TV stations and CCTV 5, the national television sports channel, before being pulled last month.

The ad was also available for downloading online and topped all flash animations and movies in popularity.

It shows James, the Cleveland Cavaliers' rookie of the year, defeating kungfu masters, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons. All the traditional Chinese figures in the commercial are depicted as impediments to James and they are defeated in five different rooms in a basketball game with James. In the commercial the feitian - a Chinese sacred woman who flies through the sky - is shown as a vicious woman who tries to seduce James.

"The advertisement violates China's regulations on ads and commercials which mandate that all advertisements and commercials in China should uphold national dignity and interests and respect the motherland's culture," the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television said on its official website.

"It also goes against rules that require ads not to contain content that blasphemes national practices and cultures."

The statement also said: "The ad has received an indignant response from Chinese viewers."

Maurice Zhou, a spokesman in Shanghai for Nike Inc, based in Beaverton, Oregon, said the company had no response except to say that it "respected the government's decision."

"We respect and comply with the Chinese Government's laws and regulations," he said.

Media companies refused to comment on the ban.

"The ads shocked me when I saw LeBron James beating Chinese dragons and the sacred feitian symbols," said Yang Xiling, a NBA fan who saw the commercial during the break period of the NBA game. "I felt I was being defeated too, along with the whole Chinese people," said Yang.

Heated discussion about the commercial has choked online forums.

"The ad leaves me with the impression that American culture wins against Chinese culture. Most of my friends share this impression. I know Nike does not mean to insult us, but the commercial has been a real torment for me," said Zhang He, a Shanghaiese working in a foreign-invested company.

Kungfu fan

Nike made the ads for James' Air Zoom LeBron II sneakers. The ad was based on films featuring martial arts icon Bruce Lee. James is a big fan of Lee.

"It was not intended to hurt anybody or any culture or anything like that," James told the Associated Press after practice in Cleveland on December 6. "We put the ads together basically for kids."

James said he was disappointed the ad was pulled, since this will prevent some of his fans from seeing him.

"That's big. I need as many fans as I can get," he said.

James, who signed a seven-year deal with Nike, hopes to have things patched up with his Chinese fans in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I'll be there in 2008, so maybe they'll love me a little more when I get there," said James, who played for the US Olympic team this summer in Athens but failed to win a gold medal.

Culture conflict

"This commercial was always likely to provoke dispute in China," said Yao Ming in an after-game interview on December 9. "So it didn't surprise me when I heard it had been banned and widely criticized by Chinese people, especially youngsters."

"It is a cultural conflict. In China, the dragon is the symbol of China and Chinese culture and the feitian - the flying woman - is regarded as sacred and holy. They are not respectfully treated in the Nike commercial," said Yao.

Yao clearly understands how cultural conflict can have a great impact. The NBA All-Star centre himself had the experience of adjusting to American culture when he arrived in the US to play in the NBA.

"My modesty is often regarded as cowardice. But Chinese tradition has taught me not to be aggressive. Yet aggression is valued on the basketball court of the NBA," said Yao.

"Conflict will occur when you are ignorant about another culture and things will be even worse if you take too much for granted," said Professor Gu Donghui, a sociology expert at Fudan University. "For example, many foreign Chinese calligraphy-lovers like to wear shirts bearing Chinese characters. I once saw a foreign girl wearing a T-shirt with the Chinese character ji on it. She knew ji meant chicken in Chinese, but she did not know it also means prostitute," said Gu.

"I saw that some NBA players like to have Chinese characters tattooed on their bodies. But most of them mean nothing. Kenyon Martin's tattoo means passiveness and silly-sally," said Yao.

No laughing matter

Insulting a dragon in China is no laughing matter.

A Nippon dragon ad raised the national ire when Leo Burnett Shanghai Advertising, a Sino-US joint venture, created a presentation for Nippon Paint showing a freshly-painted pillar whose twisting dragon, unable to keep its grip because Nippon Paint was so smooth and silky, ends up in a coil at the bottom.

Leo Burnett Shanghai Advertising (Guangzhou) stated: "It is a creative presentation rather than an advertisement."

"Although ads are creative products, this does not mean ad makers can just seek inspiration from dragons and feitian at will," said Xia Xuelan, sociology professor from Beijing University. "That is a cultural invasion. More and more ads made by the international advertising companies are appearing on TV and other media in China. There is no doubt misunderstanding will occur because of cultural differences."

The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television announced on December 8 that censorship of commercials and ads would be strengthened.

"The censorship will be focused on creative content and imagery of the ads," said Ren Qian, vice director of the Social Publicity Department of the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television.

Source:
> Nike's dragon-insulting ad triggers culture conflict

This article appeared on BBC News Online on 12 Dec, 2006.

[full size] Dragon dances are important festive rituals in China.

Fiery debate over China's dragon

Chinese internet users have stirred a heated debate over the status of dragons, seen as a national symbol.

The problem, some academics allege, is that Chinese people and Westerners have very different concepts of dragons.

Chinese dragons are supernatural symbols without the Western traits of aggression or maiden-eating.

The debate began when a Shanghai professor claimed Western views of dragons could give people a negative impression of China.

But some 90% of respondents to a Chinese website survey disagreed, insisting that the dragon should remain the traditional Chinese icon.

Pang Jin, the director of China Research Centre on Dragon and Phoenix Culture, said dragons in the two countries should not be mixed up.

"The dragon in western culture enjoys a low cultural rank, but in China, it is a spiritual and cultural symbol representing prosperity and good luck," he told the Xinhua news agency.

Such an idea is not new.

Other academics have suggested English speakers use the Chinese word for dragons - "long" - when speaking of the Chinese dragon, to differentiate it from its Western counterpart.

The Chinese government is reported to have decided against the dragon as its official Olympic mascot because of its connotations abroad.

Instead it created five "friendly" cartoon mascots - the panda, Tibetan antelope, fish, swallow and Olympic flame.

The Chinese dragon is not the fire-breathing monster of Western lore. Instead, its main task is to foster harmony by bringing life-giving rains.

The dragon is celebrated in Chinese art and architecture, and dragon dances are popular festive rituals. Millions of Chinese have the character "long" as part of their names.

Source:
> BBC News - Fiery Debate over China's Dragon

Mar 21, '07: Ancient flying dragon discovered in China

Chinese scientists say they've found the remains of a small "flying dragon" that lived around the time of the dinosaurs.
The London Telegraph says the six-inch long skeleton of the Gliding Lizard fossil features "elongated ribs that helped to spread a wing-like membrane for gliding."

A report by Xing Xu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleonanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says the unusual arrangement is found today only in the dragon lizards of southeast Asia.

The fossil of insect eating reptile was found in the Liaoning Province of northeastern China.

Source:
> PhysOrg.com News

.. Dragon Places ..

These are a bunch of dragon-named places around the world, so drop by if you're nearby.

1. Dragon's Inn

dragonsinn
[full size]: Located near Iron Dragon, Cedar Point.
Serves chicken fingers, hot-dogs-on-a-stick, and fried cheese sticks.

> CedarPoint Amusement Park /Sandusky, Ohio

2. The Dragon Hotel

[full size]: The Dragon Hotel, Swansea, Wales.

The Dragon Hotel is the premier 4-star hotel in Swansea city centre. Over £3.5 million has been spent to offer guests excellent hotel accommodation and superb leisure facilities.

> The Dragon Hotel /Swansea, Wales

3. Dragon Inn Floating Resort

dragon inn, sabah
[full size]: Dragon Inn Floating Resort, Sabah, Malaysia

Dragon Inn is a popular pit stop for travelers heading to the world famous Pulau Sipadan. It offers a distinguished resort experience that sets it apart from other places in Malaysia.

> Dragon Inn /Sabah, Malaysia

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