Chinese museums left red-faced after caption errors mar Communist Party-themed displays
Chinese museums have been criticised for spelling errors in their information boards, including one in Zhejiang province where one of the captions for an exhibition about the Long March turned the Red Army into a “red car”. Such mistakes are especially embarrassing given the high importance the authorities attach to Communist Party history and come amid an ongoing push to promote “red tourism” or…
Chinese museums have faced criticism for spelling errors on their information boards, particularly in a Zhejiang province exhibition about the Long March. One caption mistakenly described the Red Army as a "red car," causing embarrassment given the significance authorities place on Communist Party history. These mistakes follow a push to promote "red tourism," or revolutionary-themed attractions.
The Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou was one of several museums with similar errors, including misprints of "without rest" as "without body," turning the "Red Army" into a "red car," and misspelling names of Chinese revolutionary leaders like Zhou Enlai and Liu Bocheng. The museum acknowledged the errors, apologizing to the public and promising to enforce stricter proofreading procedures.
Other museums, such as Yiyang Museum in Hunan and Suzhou Museum in Jiangsu, also reported similar blunders. Visitors, including a British YouTuber with nearly 900,000 views on a related video, have helped promote these attractions internationally. Critics emphasize that even minor errors can negatively impact the visitor experience and undermine museums' authority and solemnity.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
