A recent episode of Horrible Histories on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been deemed ‘racist’ by Chinese viewers regarding a story that focused on the female ancient Empress, Wu Zetian.
An article by the Chinese news publication, Global Times, commented on the outrage from Chinese-Australians who demanded an apology over the racist content that suggested ‘insects, rats and hair’ were regularly used in Chinese cuisine.
Further issues arose as Global Times criticised the ethnicity of the ‘white actress’ playing Empress Wu Zetian which antagonised Chinese-Australians and Chinese citizens. ABC recently responded to this critique by clarifying the ethnicity of the actress, Sophie Wu, as British-born but of Chinese heritage.
In light of these events, Global Times confirmed the presence of a petition initiated by a group of Chinese-Australians challenging the discrimination against Chinese culture on the ABC network, emphasising the detrimental consequences of airing this content, including racial discrimination and bullying within schools.
The episode of Horrible Histories was originally aired in 2015, however, as stated by Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre of East China Normal University, the decision to replay this episode during tense social and political climates during the COVID-19 pandemic was ‘malicious and offensive’, lacking sensitivity.
Chinese students in Australia spoke to Global Times to discuss their demand for an apology and for action to be taken by ABC to actively state their position against racial discrimination, which is crucial in today’s society.
This issue surfaces following the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM), which implored the need for racial equality following the brutal murder of George Floyd. It is crucial that the demand and fight for racial equality is sustained and more importantly that white companies and broadcast networks are actively uplifting people of Colour. This is of paramount importance to ensure that the work of the recent Black Lives Matter Movement is not lost.
