A screengrab of the Qiaobi commercial that went viral last week. (Photo : Weibo)
The Chinese firm responsible for a controversial detergent ad featuring a black man turning into a light-skinned Asian man in a washing machine has apologized after the commercial went viral online.
Shanghai-based Leishang Cosmetics issued a statement on its Weibo account on Saturday night, saying it "had no intention to discriminate against people of color," adding that the company strongly condemned and rejected racism.
The commercial for Qiaobi laundry detergent shows a black man whistling and winking at a young Chinese woman, who calls him over, puts a detergent into his mouth and cramming him head-first into a washing machine. Moments later, a light-skinned Asian man emerges from the machine, with the women grinning in apparent satisfaction.
The commercial was posted on YouTube, drawing criticism from Western media and commentators who said the video serves as an example of Chinese prejudices.
"We express regret for the controversy caused by the advert's contents, [and we] absolutely will not pass the buck," Leishang Cosmetics said in its statement. "We've terminated the placement of the controversial advert and deleted some online video links. [We] hope that Internet users who are exaggerating the issue and the media will no longer disseminate them."
The statement added: "Due to the spread of the advert and overdrawn public opinion, harm has been done to people of African descent. We apologize and sincerely hope that the large number of Internet users and the media do not read too much into the content."
The apology appears to be a change of heart for the company, whose spokesman told the state-owned Global Times newspaper earlier this weekend that the "foreign media might be too sensitive about the ad."
Several members of the public said the company was wrong to claim the criticism as exaggerated.
"According to what standards have you come to the conclusion that public opinion had been 'overdrawn'? What do you even mean by 'overdrawn'?" the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post cited a Chinese netizen as saying.
Other Internet users have also accused Leishang Cosmetics of plagiarism, saving the advert is similar to another commercial aired in Italy years ago. It showed a skinny white man turning into a fit black man, with the slogan "colored is better," according to the Post.
"It is not only racist, but also completely plagiarized," said one commenter. "It has really made our countrymen lose face."
