Beijing residents angered by sign stopping Chinese nationals from entering shop

BEIJING - A clothes store in China's capital city, Beijing, recently put up a sign banning Chinese customers from entering the store. Only Chinese staff could go in.

This has angered Chinese nationals, according to the Chinese media. They have taken to popular social media site Weibo to slam the store on Yabaolu, a street lined with shops. Some even called for it to be closed down.

Quoting the Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday, reports said that an employee in the shop told a reporter that the ban was to "avoid plagiarism from competitors". Another employee, however, said that Chinese customers were "too annoying" and that women tried many clothes but did not buy anything.

Chinese press reported that the sign had been up for about a week, after an incident in which the store had to pay US$5,000 to a foreign customer, whose wallet was allegedly stolen by a Chinese national.

This is not the first time such discrimination has happened on Yabaolu, where the shops cater to many foreigners, Chinese media alleged. In 2003, some shops on the street apparently posted signs saying "No Entrance" in Chinese but "Welcome!" in English.

Sources: The Shanghaiist, Sina English

jalmsab@sph.com.sg

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