‘Racist’ Chinese Spring Festival Gala TV show causes uproar over ‘blackface and big bottoms’
The show, by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, had a Chinese actress wearing blackface and fake buttocks to portray an African mother
A comedy sketch on China’s biggest Lunar New Year television show has caused anger online for using a Chinese actress in blackface and giant fake buttocks to depict an African character.
The skit, which was apparently intended to celebrate China’s relationship with African countries, came during the 2018 edition of the CCTV New Year’s Gala – also known as the Spring Festival Gala – an annual variety show broadcast for the Lunar New Year that gets as many as 800 million viewers.
The scene – which also appeared to feature a black performer playing a monkey – was lambasted as “disgusting” and “completely racist” online after it aired on Thursday night.
The scene opened with a performance by African dancers and an appearance by black female staff from the new Chinese-built Kenyan fast train – but it was the following mini-play that caused uproar online.
After the performers departed the stage, the host – standing in front of an African veld backdrop – was approached by his friend, played by a young black woman, who asked him to help her out with a problem by following her lead.
He agreed and was introduced to her mother – who was played by Chinese actress Lou Naiming wearing blackface, with a comically large fake bottom under her skirt and a basket of fruit on her head.
