The World Briefly

September 28, 2023

Dangerous Threads

China

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China’s rubber-stamp parliament unveiled a new bill this month that would ban clothing considered offensive to the Chinese people, a move critics say underscores the government’s increasing restrictions on personal freedom and expression, the Washington Post reported.

The National People’s Congress published a draft that would restrict people from wearing attire deemed “detrimental to the spirit of the Chinese people,” and that “hurt the feelings” of the country’s citizens.

Individuals violating the new rules could be subject to a fine of up to $680 and up to 15 days in jail.

Officials did not explain the precise purpose of the draft legislation, but the proposal comes after a series of incidents involving Chinese citizens wearing traditional Japanese clothing. Such attire is considered offensive by hardline nationalists, given the two countries’ wartime history.

In one instance, police detained a woman in the country’s east for wearing a Japanese kimono and accused her of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a catchall term authorities use to target anyone considered a troublemaker.

The Chinese government has already imposed a series of restrictions on certain clothing and fashion among youth: Recent actions include targeting individuals who wore rainbow symbols in support of the LGBTQ community, cracking down on teenagers with tattoos, and imposing bans on unconventional hairstyles, such as more than shoulder-length hair on girls and certain styles for boys.

Feedback from the public about the bill has generally been negative.

Many individuals described it as an example of the ruling Communist Party’s growing intolerance against anything that doesn’t conform to its notions of nationalism and patriotism, which lately have become more anti-Western, according to the Post.

This story originally appeared in the September 28, 2023 newsletter, An Absolute Problem.