Community

FairPrice Takes CNY Longevity T-Shirts Off Racks After Complaints Of Allusion To Funeral Clothing

CNY Longevity T-Shirts Imply Funeral Shrouds, FairPrice Removes Them After Customers Complain

Uttering the correct wishes on Chinese New Year is a risky process, especially if you don’t have a good grasp of Mandarin.

Some customers at FairPrice apparently have too good a grasp, as they spotted an error on one of the exclusive CNY T-shirts.

Source

The post translates as:

Do you dare to wear this? A netizen reported to us that they spotted the T-shirt below at AMK Hub’s FairPrice Xtra selling at $11.90. At the moment, the person felt that it was scary to be uncultured. 

According to AsiaOne, FairPrice has since removed them after receiving complaints that the design alludes to funeral shrouds.

Oof.

Customers spot error on CNY T-shirts

Wishes of longevity are common during CNY, but seeing them on T-shirts seems to be a rare occurrence.

A FairPrice customer, however, spotted the unique design on one of the bright red T-shirts the supermarket sells for CNY.

Source

 

The word “shou” on the front of the t-shirt, means “longevity”.

But since the word adorns a piece of clothing, the T-shirt with the character becomes “shouyi”, which loosely translates to “longevity clothing”.

In case you didn’t catch the drift, “longevity clothing” can be another way to refer to clothing for the dead, or funeral shrouds.

Mistake amuses & upsets netizens

Netizens who saw the post on Facebook page RedAnts 红蚂蚁 left a string of comments expressing their distaste.

Many questioned the designer’s aptitude in the language, with some even wondering how it received approval in the first place.

Source

The netizen above commented that, “The designer should get hit, the person who approved of it is even scarier.”

Others asked if either the designer or supermarket officials realised how offensive the mistake was towards Chinese culture.

FairPrice removes offensive T-shirts

After receiving wind of the complaints, a FairPrice spokesperson informed Lianhe Zaobao on Sunday (12 Jan) that they have taken the T-shirts off the shelves.

This came just 2 days after the complaints first surfaced on 10 Jan, so kudos to them for the quick response.

Next time, let’s hope that they’re more meticulous with checking such culturally sensitive products before releasing them to the public.

Featured image adapted from Facebook and TheSmartLocal.

The Must Share News Team

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Recent Posts

4 pots of cannabis plants found in Yishun flat, 18-year-old man arrested

In a separate case, a 14-year-old was arrested for allegedly taking drugs given to him…

21 May 2024, 12:23 am

S’pore Army to replace section automatic weapon after 42 years in service

The new weapon has several adjustable features to improve ergonomics, allowing soldiers to be more…

20 May 2024, 10:50 pm

ERP rates will go down by S$1 at 7 expressway locations over the June school holidays

The rates will go back up from 24 June.

20 May 2024, 9:33 pm

Hit-and-run accident involving 5 vehicles on BKE sends two to hospital

The accident involved a bus, a lorry, a car, and two motorcycles.

20 May 2024, 6:06 pm

PM Wong directs ELD to revise Registers of Electors by 31 July 2024

The revisions will be open for public inspection in June.

20 May 2024, 5:33 pm