Women Taking Selfies with Mercedes-Benz at the Forbidden City Spark Outrage in China

Women who drove into the Forbidden City in China and took photos. Photo by Weibo

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Women who drove luxury imported cars into Beijing's Forbidden City (紫禁城), a world cultural heritage site in China, and took photos are facing public backlash.

According to Chinese media on the 20th, a woman posted on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) Weibo, "I took advantage of the Monday closure day to avoid crowds and freely played in the Forbidden City," along with photos taken in front of the Taihua Gate of the Forbidden City.

In the photos, two women are posing inside the Forbidden City, leaning against a Mercedes-Benz vehicle while wearing sunglasses.

Listed as a World Heritage site in 1987, the Forbidden City is one of the tourist spots in China where vehicle access is strictly controlled. When former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama in 2014 and Donald Trump in 2017 visited the Forbidden City, vehicle entry was also not permitted.

Netizens who saw the post criticized, saying, "Driving a car into the Forbidden City is illegal, so how did they get in?"

As the controversy grew, the woman who posted the photos posted an explanation on Weibo. She claimed, "Some areas allow cars to enter, and the place where I was standing was a parking lot with several vehicles around." She also sarcastically added, "Isn't there too much jealousy?"

Angry Chinese netizens began to identify the woman’s identity, revealing that she is a former flight attendant of Air China and belongs to the 'Hong Sandai (紅三代),' referring to the third generation of revolutionary elders.

Her great-grandfather was He Changgong (何長工), a revolutionary elder who served as an educator during the Red Army period in the 1930s, the predecessor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and her father-in-law was He Guangwei (何光暐), who served as the director of China Tourism Administration.

Hong Sandai refers to the young privileged class who are children, sons-in-law, or daughters-in-law of the 'Hong Er Dai (紅二代),' the second generation of Chinese revolutionary elders.

As the backlash intensified, the woman deleted the photos and posts from Weibo. The Forbidden City authorities also issued a statement confirming, "It is true that this woman drove a car into the Forbidden City, and we will thoroughly strengthen management and supervision to prevent similar incidents in the future."