Chinese actor Zhu Yilong recently unexpectedly trended on Weibo after he was accused of striking a Japanese taiko drum on the Great Wall of China.
On May 30, the 38-year-old attended an event by Lululemon at the Huanghuacheng section of the Great Wall in Beijing as a brand ambassador.
During the event, he performed a drumming segment with a percussion group, which the activewear brand described as “beating the Chinese grand drum.”
However, after videos of the event circulated online, percussion professionals and netizens noted that the drum’s structure, playing style, and cultural characteristics more closely resemble Japanese taiko drums than traditional Chinese drums.
Based on the photos, the drum had a barrel-shaped body, a red cross-rope tension system, and an angled mounting.
The topic quickly gained traction and sparked online debate.
On June 16, Lululemon issued a public apology to the actor, stating that the company “highly values feedback from all sectors of society”.
“Due to limitations in our professional understanding, we failed to fully identify potential controversy during the early planning and review process of the drum performance,” the company stated.
It added that it now fully recognises it should have been more cautious and thorough in planning the segment.
“Here, we sincerely apologise to the public and to Mr Zhu Yilong, and have removed all related promotional content,” they added.
Yilong’s studio also issued a statement emphasising that he and his team are committed to promoting traditional Chinese culture and maintaining accuracy and rigour in cultural expression.
They described themselves as steadfast inheritors of Chinese culture and said they will approach future work with greater professionalism while accepting public supervision and feedback.