BEIJING – Chinese state TV included black-faced dancers portraying Africans during a national broadcast while Asia welcomed the Lunar Year of the Ox on Friday with moderate festivities amid travel restrictions to contain further coronavirus outbreaks.
The presentation of “African Song and Dance” took place at the beginning of the Spring Festival Gala, or “Chunwan”, one of the most watched TV programs in the world. It included Chinese dancers in African-style attire and dark makeup hitting drums.
The annual five-hour program, which state TV said was seen by up to 800 million people in the past, also included tributes to nurses, doctors and others who fought the coronavirus pandemic that started in central China in late 2019.
The Communist Party of China tries to promote an image of unity with African nations as developing economies. But state broadcaster China Central Television has faced criticism for using blackface to portray Africans in previous New Year broadcasts.
On twitter, Black Livity China, a group of Afro-descendants working in or with China, found the broadcast “extremely disappointing”. He observed CCTV’s Spring 2018 Gala Festival, which featured blackface artists with a monkey.
“We cannot emphasize enough the impact that scenes like these have on the African and Afro-diasporic communities living in China,” said the group.
Holiday festivities, usually the busiest tourist season in East Asia, are silenced after China, Vietnam, Taiwan and other governments have restricted travel and urged the public to avoid large gatherings after new outbreaks of viruses.
Elsewhere in China, Buddhist and Taoist temples, which are usually packed with holiday worshipers, have been closed. The streets of big cities were almost empty.
Visitors gathered outside the locked gates of the Lama Temple on the north side of Beijing to burn incense and pray.
Ji Jianping, who wore a red jacket and mask, the traditional color of good luck, said she and her family had stopped visiting their hometown in northern Shanxi province due to the pandemic.
“I want safety and health, as well as happiness for my family,” said Ji, 62.
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China’s appeal to the public to avoid travel is decreasing spending on tourism and gifts. But economists say the overall impact can be limited if factories and stores continue to operate instead of taking the normal two-week break.
The Ministry of Commerce said it found 48 million people in Chinese cities planned to celebrate where they live instead of traveling. Departures from Beijing’s two main airports also fell 75% from last year on Wednesday, the government of the Chinese capital said.