Wuhan, the "Land of Cherry Blossoms"? Chinese Firm’s Ad in Japan Slammed as "Lacking National Remorse"

▲ The cherry blossoms at Wuhan University are famous across China, attracting crowds every blooming season. (Photo/Xinhua Net)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

When it comes to cherry blossoms, many people think of Japan, but recently an advertisement appeared on a digital screen in Tokyo’s Shibuya area that read, "Wuhan, the World Capital of Cherry Blossoms" and "Welcome to Wuhan University to Enjoy the Blossoms." It drew widespread mockery online. However, investigations revealed that the ad was not orchestrated by the Wuhan government or Wuhan University, but by Hanxin Internet Financial Services (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Hanjinsuo).

The company’s CEO, Zeng Qingqun, told ChuTianJinBao in an interview that late March marked the one-year anniversary of Hanjinsuo’s launch. As a locally-based state-owned internet finance firm in Wuhan, and with Wuhan University’s cherry blossoms being one of the city’s iconic sights, “we just happened to have a cherry blossom-themed product, so we combined the two for promotion. In advertising ourselves, we can also better showcase and share the unique features of Wuhan with the world.”

▲ Is Wuhan really the world capital of cherry blossoms? (Photo/taken from the internet)

However, Wuhan University historianWu Xiao wrote a scathing critique, saying, “Businessmen know not the shame of national defeat!”The cherry blossoms on Wuhan University’s campus were originally introduced by the heinous invading forces of Imperial Japan during the war. “They are tainted with the blood of the suffering Chinese people and carry an indelible memory of national humiliation. It is entirely inappropriate to flaunt them so carelessly before our former aggressors.”

Wu Xiao pointed out that the false advertisement claiming to be the “world capital of cherry blossoms” not only brought shame beyond China’s borders, exposing ignorance and frivolity to people of other nations and severely tarnishing the reputation of a city, a university, and even a country, “but also using ‘come admire the cherry blossoms at Wuhan University’ as a gimmick to boast about being the ‘world capital of cherry blossoms’ shows grave disrespect for our nation’s past suffering and humiliation.”

Wu Xiao added, “Just imagine, a victim who has endured the agony of war proudly flaunting the beauty of relics left behind by their former tormentor on their own soil, even arrogantly and ignorantly claiming these things as originally belonging to them. What could be more absurd than that?!”