Two Women ‘Run Wild’ With Their Mercedes-Benz S.U.V. in the Forbidden City, Sparking Outrage in China

When two young Chinese women posed for a selfie besides their
Mercedes-Benz S.U.V. inside an unusually empty Forbidden City, they
were probably hoping for attention with their not-so-humble brag.
They got more than they bargained for, sparking widespread anger
and mockery on the social media. The backlash has resulted in the
suspension of two senior managers at the Palace Museum in
Beijing.

“On Monday the Palace Museum is closed, so I hurried over, hid
from the crowds, and went to play in the Forbidden City,” wrote Lu
Xiaobao LL, one of the women in the picture, according to the
BBC. The other
apparently bragged about going there to “run wild,” according to
the New York
Times. After her post prompted outcry, Lu at first
defended her behavior, saying she was at the cultural site to see
an exhibit but she soon deleted the post. Screenshots had gone
viral, however. Critics uploaded fake Mercedes-Benz ads, joking
that Beijing’s Forbidden City now has a McDonalds Drive-Thru.

The women’s behavior earned a stinging rebuke from The
People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party,
and questions have been asked about the Palace Museum’s role in the
affair.

The snap of two women besides their luxury vehicle in the
historic grounds, which was home to Chinese emperors from the
15th-century until 1912, has generated an intense debate about the
privileges rich Chinese families enjoy, as well as the nation’s gap
between its wealthiest and the rest.

“Don’t roll your privileges over China’s face,” wrote a Weibo
user, according to the New York Times. Another
widely shared post said: “Deleting the pictures is useless; the
entire Chinese nation has seen them,” the BBC
reports. Such a conspicuous display of privilege strikes a
jarring note as President Xi Jinping promises to eliminate poverty by
2020. He has also championed a crackdown on officials who
flaunt their wealth.

The Palace Museum has also been under fire for enabling the faux
pas at the World Heritage site. The museum’s director, Wang Xudong,
issued an official apology today, January 21. According to Chinese
outlet The Paper, Wang
explained that a week ago more than 200 people were invited to the
museum for a private event. Due to an overflow of cars, a temporary
parking lot was set up where the provocative photos were taken.

Wang blamed the situation on a problem within the museum’s
“internal management.” The museum’s deputy director, and its
director security, have reportedly been suspended.

The newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, The People’s Daily, weighed
in on the controversy. It declared that a national relic had been
violated. “Under the rules, everyone is equal,” it said,
adding: “No one has the privilege to ‘run wild.’”

The post Two Women ‘Run Wild’ With Their Mercedes-Benz
S.U.V. in the Forbidden City, Sparking Outrage in China
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