r/interestingasfuck • u/NathanCS741 • 13h ago

The interesting aesthetic of the headquarters of Heilan, a Chinese clothing brand

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u/jeslinmx 13h ago

It isn’t that bad, it could just be an unfortunate coincidence due to cultural differences!
swipe
swipe oh. ohhhhhh

646

u/_Fun_Employed_ 12h ago

My exact reaction. I was like, “red carries a lot of cultural significance in China, I’m sure it’s just a red field on the flag for something like that…” swipe over “oh, nvm”

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u/Lolxgdrei787 7h ago

its called HEILan

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u/_Fun_Employed_ 7h ago

I mean, in retrospect that’s noticeable but Homophones exist across languages you can have words that sound the same but mean different things in different languages

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u/howieyang1234 6h ago

No, it's definitely intentional. Because while it is called Heilan in English, the pinyin for the original Chinese name is Hai lan.

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u/_Fun_Employed_ 4h ago

I do believe it’s intentional, I only meant that that line of thinking was why I didn’t think-notice it right away

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u/classic4life 1h ago

That took a few slides to fully sink in lol

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u/Doctrina_Stabilitas 10h ago edited 8h ago

Nazi iconography is pretty popular in Asia in general, there’s not the same cultural negativity towards the aesthetic nazism as there is in the west which has caused not a few controversies as Asian media has internationalized

It doesn’t help that the swastika itself is a living religious symbol in Asia that brings good luck. And even on Reddit you have the general sentiment that like boss’s work on Nazi uniforms looks great, Asia is just willing to accept that sentiment without the attachment of negative cultural connotations, or maybe even positive ones because in China the biggest connection to the nazis is helping against imperial japan (John Rabe - Wikipedia) and saving lives in the rape of nanking

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55893166

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37843779

https://www.voanews.com/amp/thailand-band-apologizes/4761489.html

https://globalnews.ca/news/4661836/k-pop-band-bts-managers-apologize-over-nazi-photos/

What seems obvious to western eyes is at the end is purely an engrained cultural sensitivity that Asians acknowledge only when called out by the west, which isn’t that dissimilar than using expressions which are highly offensive in Asia like like when the WSJ called China a sick man

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-is-the-real-sick-man-of-asia-11580773677

Or like how Native American iconography was totally in vogue in America until the last decade

Or like how fu Manchu used to be one of the biggest names in media

Or how some americans are really too into imperial japan to the cringe of everyone in asia

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u/MoronicPlayer 7h ago

I've been saying this for years and sometimes, some redditors will be hostile towards you for posting the reality in asia. I've seen confederate flags, German Nazi symbols and Emperial japan / rising sun stickers on every car, trike / motorcycle, jeep and bus here and we dont really bat an eye unless they do harm to others because for majority of people, "it looks cool and everyone has it" even if said symbols were taught to us since elementary (Education here isnt really top notch), people will forget or dont give a damn.

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u/plshelpcomputerissad 6h ago

Damn I would think Asia would be more averse to anything “imperial Japan” than anyone. Unless they’re from Japan I guess

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u/nickrei3 3h ago

only in Japan probably. at least in china you will your ass handled with imperial Japan symbols. nazi Germany did have the best design at that time....

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u/J_pepperwood0 1h ago

Certain people in my northern European country love cosplaying American redneck culture and flying the confederate flag. Its pretty niche luckily though because that shit is weird

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u/drewbopalous 46m ago

I live in America and people love to cosplay rednecks here too. Basically any prepschool politican on the campaign trail starts talking about his granpappy.

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u/J_pepperwood0 40m ago

Yeah but people here are clueless of the history, they just think its cool. And when people tell them what it means they still shrug and say it looks cool

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u/MPI_COMM_WORLD 3h ago

>German Nazi symbols and Emperial japan / rising sun stickers on every car, trike / motorcycle, jeep and bus

That's complete BULLSHIT! I don't think any east Asia country except Japan is doing this and will ever allow this to happen.

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u/zeen 2h ago

I've seen way too many Rising Sun flag patches stitched onto the backpacks of young white men. I don't blame them, it's just doesn't have the same negative cultural connotation.

That's why you also can't blame Asians on the occasional Nazi iconography.

But yeah, this company took it too far. They're often even laughed at by the local Chinese for it.

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u/zilch26 1h ago

May I interest you with this fine establishment from India

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u/classic4life 1h ago

The most impactful member of the Nazi party operating in China during WW2 was the guy throwing the weight of the Nazi party around to protect civilians during the rape of Nanjing. I want to believe their weird love of Nazi iconography isn't entirely unrelated to that.

Even so... Oof

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u/determinismblues 8h ago

There's no swastikas.

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u/Doctrina_Stabilitas 8h ago

I never said there were in this photos, only that the swastika is an auspicious symbol in Asia

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u/determinismblues 8h ago

Completely irrelevant to the post or the imagery the company is using that is so reminicist of Nazism that you'd have to be sinophobic to believe they didn't see it themselves.

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u/jeslinmx 7h ago

It factors in a little. The swastika has been a sacred symbol in various Asian societies for a very long time, so when you have the cultural clash of (entitled) Westerners insisting without context that it is a symbol of pure evil for all time and that it must be scrubbed from everything, it does tend to rub people the wrong way. And then all the more they will double down on enjoying the reichy aesthetic, because not only do they not know/care that it offends someone outside their sphere, it even enrages them.

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u/determinismblues 7h ago

You don't understand, it's ok for the Chinese company to imitate Nazi symbolism and aesthetics because it makes people mad

Good point bruv

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u/Telpelinde 12h ago

My cringe face just got worse and worse as I swiped

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u/vivaaprimavera 11h ago

Maybe they are preparing to focus on US market /s

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u/Jester-252 7h ago

Was thinking just like Frank in IASIP

"I didn't know it was gonna come off like that"

They knew

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u/Gold-Eye-2623 8h ago

Right? I was ready to give full benefit of the doubt until the guy with the straight up Nazi uniform

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u/AbbreviationsWide331 9h ago

And then you look at the name more closely "oooh"

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u/kagethemage 7h ago

Well, to the Chinese the Japanese were the real villains and would probably feel the same seeing people with the rising sun flag.

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u/NatalieSoleil 45m ago

For someone  born 100 years ago I indeed had to wipe my glasses  to see a uhm, different  uhm logo.  That's  it. A different  logo. And rather reminiscent  imposing  architecture. 

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u/Fumquat 23m ago

Why a ship? We’re not at sea… 🤔

Oh. We’re NOT at SEA. ☠️

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u/monkeysknowledge 9h ago

yeah… I mean with the columns it looks bad…

After a few swipes

nvm these are Nazis’.

goddamnit.

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u/PeroCigla 9h ago

I did nazi that coming.