Lululemon apologises after Japanese drum at Great Wall yoga event

Lululemon has apologised after a promotional event on the Great Wall of China appeared to feature a Japanese drum, prompting an uproar. The Canadian-headquartered brand, known for its upmarket leggings, hosted a yoga festival in late May on a section of the wall near Beijing and invited more than 2,000 people.

The event was advertised as promoting Chinese culture and wellness, and the actor Zhu Yilong joined a drum group and posted a picture on Weibo of himself in front of an instrument bearing the Lululemon logo. Weibo users accused the performers of using a Japanese taiko rather than a Chinese dagu, and discussions had gathered more than 50m views by Monday; Zhu’s studio pressed Lululemon for a response.

China, Beijing

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