Shanghai subway lewd t-shirt controversy sparks online backlash

A couple from China, their fashion choices stirring controversy on Shanghai’s subway, donned t-shirts filled with expletives and lewd language.

The incident that recently occurred on July 17 unleashed a wave of intense criticism online, spotlighting a young woman in an oversized navy t-shirt showcasing an extremely rude kanji phrase, a system of writing Japanese writing using Chinese characters. Accompanying her was a young man, whose white t-shirt was also embellished with obscenities in English. Notably, the duo were singing and dancing on the subway, reaching a crescendo of rowdiness at times.

The Subway Authority commented on the situation stating, although passengers complained about the couple’s attire, it was not in violation of the existing transport rules. The current regulations allow passengers to ride the subway provided they are decently clothed and not exposing their bodies. There are no rules that prohibit those wearing shirts with obscene language from stepping onto subway premises.

Nevertheless, Shanghai Subway officials added that the recent events were reported to the subway company’s management. They also urged that if improper behaviour like creating a racket on the subway is witnessed, passengers should immediately report it to subway personnel, reported Sanook.

While the online world reacted to the Shanghai subway incident, Chinese social media users remained critical of the couple’s overtly “indifferent” behaviour, causing inconvenience to others. Some voiced criticisms such as…

“It absolutely needs to stop! Propagating such language in public spaces is outright cultural pollution.”

“They believe they are the present. They have rights but their clothes and behaviour show their lack of moral values, a complete lack of education.”

“Whoever is designing and printing these t-shirts, should check how many such badly written shirts are in the market.”