The Forbidden Drama: Excuses and Suspicions

The Forbidden City management has come under public "assault" of late. --- pix source: Guang Niu/ Getty Images

Never ruin an apology with an excuse. Well, it appears that the Beijing Forbidden City management has recently ruined not just an apology, but also its credibility.

The imperial palace is under much bad publicity of late. First, a break-in by an amateur thief, who escaped with precious exhibits by scaling the wall, notwithstanding the palace is installed with some 1,600 antitheft devices, 400 circuit cameras, and 240 security personnel.

Later, the management invited criticism by using the wrong word to thank the Beijing city police, who nabbed the thief in three days. And then, news broke that a section of the palace – the Jianfu Court – had been turned into an exclusive clubhouse for the super-rich, enraging the public further.

The management has since come under public “assault” over security breach, its apology for using the wrong word, and its explanation on the super-rich club. The public has accused the management of giving excuses and shifting blame.

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How Japan Earthquake Causes Salt “Shortage” in China

 

A Chinese supermarket put up a notice to inform customers it has run out of supply for salt. Rumors have caused panic buying salt across China.

 

“Have you bought any salt yet?” this has become a common greeting line in China over the past few days.

As Japanese are making long queues at supermarkets that impose ration on purchases of daily goods due to shortage in post-quake Japan, China has sunken into a ridiculous panic buying over salt, resulting in supermarkets in some major Chinese cities to run out of supply.

Few days after a 9-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan, triggered tsunami, and later a nuclear crisis, rumors have been circulated across China via internet forums, micro blogs, mobile text messages, and words of mouth that intake of salt, which contains iodine, could prevent sickness from nuclear radiation exposure.

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