Recently, Wuhan University in China once again made headlines on social media platforms due to the “Japanese Flag Chair” controversy, sparking a torrent of criticism online. On September 5th, Wuhan University publicly apologized for the incident, attributing it to lack of attention to detail in their work.
During the graduate student orientation ceremony on September 5th, Wuhan University set up rows of white chairs at the venue, with red circular labels placed in the center of the chair backs, giving the appearance of the Japanese national flag.
The related images circulated online triggered a wave of condemnation. Some netizens on social media platforms expressed, “Has this school been infiltrated by Japanese spies?” “The sensitivity to a small red circle on a big white flag is too low, didn’t anyone notice something wrong?” “Even a fool can see it’s the Japanese flag.”
Wuhan University issued a statement emphasizing that the stickers on the chair backs were only meant to guide students to their seats and were not intentionally designed to resemble a flag. They expressed deep apologies for the misunderstanding caused by the labels and promised to enhance attention to detail in their work in the future.
However, the university’s announcement failed to quell the anger of netizens. Currently, the website of Wuhan University’s Graduate Office is inaccessible.
A self-proclaimed student of Wuhan University revealed online that similar arrangements were made during the orientation ceremonies in the past two years. However, in those instances, the red circular stickers were placed on the side of the chair backs, while this year they were placed in the center, bearing a strong resemblance to the Japanese flag.
Ms. Cai Yun, a resident of Wuhan (pseudonym), expressed to Dajiyuan, “The Chinese Communist Party just held a large military parade on September 3rd, which is when national sentiments are running high, and then the Wuhan University chair incident occurs.”
She believes that an uproar on the internet will definitely incite a wave of criticism, “It’s a perfect opportunity to stoke national hatred and anti-Japanese sentiment.”
Media personality Li Yiming stated to Dajiyuan, “The Chinese Communist Party’s anti-Japanese education does play a role in instigating hatred towards Japan among the Chinese people. They detest anything related to Japan. The Wuhan University chair incident is just a target for these individuals to vent their anger.”
“It’s interesting that this time even the Chinese Communist authorities felt that some netizens had gone too far and began to control public opinion,” he added.
The “Japanese Flag Chair” controversy is not an isolated incident, as Wuhan University has been embroiled in various controversies in recent years.
Inside the campus of Wuhan University lies a “Cherry Blossom Avenue” introduced from Japan in 1939. After the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in 1972, the cherry blossoms gifted by the Japanese were called “flowers of friendship,” attracting many citizens to visit Wuhan University’s Cherry Blossom Avenue to admire the blossoms every spring.
However, due to the historical ties of Wuhan University’s cherry blossoms with the Japanese military, these cherry blossoms are often criticized as “flowers of national shame.” Cai Yun remarked, “Criticizing Wuhan University’s Cherry Blossom Avenue and anything related to Japan is seen as unpatriotic.”
Li Yiming expressed to Dajiyuan, “The Chinese Communist Party’s anti-Japanese education is a double-edged sword. While it directs the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people towards Japan, it might also inadvertently harm the Chinese Communist Party itself.”