Chinese slogans can be transformed and put to work as advertisements for commercial or public interests. When applied skillfully, these slogans are short, pithy, easy to remember and from time to time may give you a laugh.
Take this one for example:
Confucius said: Benevolence
arises between two persons. Unity is strength.
Or, take these words of wisdom from your local police station:
It would be better to go whoring than to rape
.—from a municipal bureau of public security
Res ipsa loquitur
, or “the thing speaks for itself”, is a legal term applied to a presumption that a party had been negligent if that party had exclusive control of the source of an injury or harm, even if there is no specific evidence of negligence, and if the injury ordinarily does not happen in the absence of negligence.
What does that have to do with Chinese slogans? Both whoring and rape are crimes, and for a bureau of public security, such an advice is inherently problematic. Was someone at the police station negligent?
Res ipsa loquitur.
Expertise in repairing the US aircraft carriers (red banner) and F-22 (white banner at the top)
Though hilarious, this “technician” may break the law by exaggerating her arts to such an extent that she defrauds consumers. According to Article 4 of China’s Advertising Law, advertisements shall not have any false or misleading content, or defraud or mislead consumers. Additionally an advertiser shall be legally responsible for the veracity of contents of advertisement.
What do you think the likelihood is that she actually does repair USA aircraft carriers and F-22s.
Res ipsa loquitur
Looking for prostitute, please dial 15075-666605
This ad involves prostitution, explicitly forbidden by Article 9 of Advertising Law. Seems someone wasn’t thinking clearly by publically presenting their phone number as a source for prostitution.
Res ipsa loquitur.
Anyone who destroys
one row of woods will cause his mother to die before that.
Anyone who dump
s garbage on the streets
will cause
your father
to die.
According to the Article 5 of Interim Regulations on the Promotion and Management of Public Interest Advertisement, a qualified public interest should comply with socialist values and morals, use appropriate expressions as well as demonstrate good cultural taste. Unfortunately, despite demonstrating the good will to protect the environment, these slogans are inappropriate cursing going against socialist values and morals. Who approved these slogans to be painted on public walls?
Res ipsa loquitur.
The past year has been a crucial period for the evolution of China’s advertisement law. China has not only revised its Advertising Law for the first time, 20 years after it first came into effect, but has also published the first Interim Regulations on the Promotion and Management of Public Interest Advertisement.
LEHMAN, LEE & XU has been providing legal advice to foreign and Chinese clients in connection with China Advertising Law for years. We will keep looking out for major changes in the law to keep you up to date. For more information concerning appropriate commercial or public interest advertisement that is free of legal risks, please consult LEHMAN, LEE & XU.
Sources for images:
http://www.chinawhisper.com/top-30-funny-chinese-slogans/
,
and
http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/funny-rural-chinese-advertising-depressing-propaganda.html
.