A young Chinese woman was arrested in Suzhou, near Shanghai (China), for wearing a kimono, reports The Guardian this Tuesday. The simple wearing of this traditional Japanese outfit was enough for the local police to suspect the woman of “disturbing public order”. This accusation is generally brandished by the Chinese authorities against those designated as political dissidents.
During the intervention, which was filmed by a passer -by, an officer launched several remarks against the young woman: “If you had come here by wearing a hanfu, I would not bother you, but you dare to wear a kimono as Chinese! “, he was annoyed. In response, she claimed that this kimono was actually a “cosplay” (disguise) of the manga heroine Summer Time Rendering.
Strong tensions
According to information from Guardian, this explanation would not have convinced the officers, however, since the young woman was taken to the post to undergo an interrogation of almost five hours. His phone was searched and his kimono confiscated. The police then tried to stifle the case, without success. The video of the intervention has been viewed tens of millions of times.
In the comments, some Internet users denounced the attitude of the young woman, who was accused of having worn this kimono to draw attention to herself a few days before the anniversary of the Japanese surrender. Other Internet users have nevertheless found these excessive reactions. This arrest seems in any case to crystallize the tensions that remain between China and Japan, in a context of rising nationalism in China and support provided by Japan to Taiwan.
