THE9 member Zhao Xiao Tang has posted her apology letter on Weibo, claiming that she did not have any intention of comparing one brand over another, much less to worship foreign brands while suppressing mainland products.
This apology appeared to have been posted in response to her previous statement made through her sub-account on Weibo, where she seemed to have compared between two brands of toothpaste.
What happened?
On 12th of July, Zhao XiaoTang used her sub-account on Weibo to complain about the girl group’s staff members on Weibo:
“My teammates are abnormal”. She also calls out her assistant for using the the ‘Hermès of all toothpaste’ (this widely used to refer to Marvis toothpaste in China), and only leaving her with Lesening toothpaste. Zhao Xiangtang seemed to imply that the latter brand was inferior, adding “Do I have a bad mouth? Or do you want me to eat cold, hot, sour and sweet food whenever I like?”
When it came to the executive manager, she teased: “If you give it to me again, I will let you have a taste of my combo boxing skills so that you know that society can be ruthless and girls can’t be coquettish all the time!”
Zhao Xiaotang also said that she can get easily beaten up by people, yet her bodyguard chose to vanish from her sight for three days, though she also humorously also added that she had recently recovered (him).
Additionally, she also commented that her makeup artist displayed very confusing behaviour. Her recent confusing act included forgetting to bring all the makeup brushes when she left for work. Thankfully, Zhao Xiaotang added that she brought her own make-up products, otherwise they would be using toothbrushes instead.
The tone of her post was for most part bantering and she also clarified in a comment below the post that she was just sharing about her relationship with her co-workers,”The people whom I’ve mentioned in my post are all those who I love. Treating everyone with politely here as thought they are guests at my place may not be suitable. I prefer hate-love relationships~ besides, I have also confirmed with those who were involved in the post. I’ve published those posts after asking for their permissions.
The internet reacts to Zhao Xiao Tang’s statement
However, netizens appeared to have interpreted Zhao Xiao Tang as worshipping foreign brands and suppressing domestic brands after reading her post.
This led to discussions about perceived damage suffered by the particular domestic brand due to her choice of brand comparison.
Zhao Xiaotang issues an apology
On the midnight of 13th July, Zhao Xiao Tang posted her apology in a handwritten letter on Weibo:
Sorry, I am wrong!
Regarding the contents of my Weibo post, I would like to apologize for my words and actions!
My original intention was to share with my fans about my interactions with my co-workers daily, but because I was not careful enough with my words, it led to a negative interpretation of my words.
It was my failure to consider things carefully, I did not compared between brands with any ill intention, and I definitely did not mean to blindly worship foreign products at the expense of suppressing products produced domestically. Over here, I would like to apologize to the damage that I have caused to the brands, my staff members and netizens, I really sincerely apologize.
There are many domestic brands that have been a part of my life while growing up, and domestic brands have progressed to a point where there are many outstanding brands that have appeared over the years. They have entered the international stage and set the standards to showcase the Chinese culture on the international arena.
I once again apologize for my actions yesterday! Thank you to the netizens for monitoring my actions and words, I will continue to support brands at home, and I wish domestic products to continue developing to become better and better!
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Sources (1) and (2)
People make no sense on one hand if she doesn’t apologize ppl give her crap but if she does the same ppl still whine that it’s not genuine?