A new “sexy pre-war Shanghai” theme bar in Sydney, Australia has been accused of racism and cultural appropriation by social media users.
Suey Sins, which doubles up as a restaurant, has received complaints and criticism over its name, traditional Chinese staff uniforms and theme, News.com.au reported.
According to critics on social media, the bar glamorized the “traumatic period” of Chinese culture under British colonial rule and continued “negative colonial ideologies”, and “racist fetishisation of a marginalised women [sic] for a dollar”.
“Mind explaining the brilliant idea of blending ‘sins’ and ‘chop suey’ to come up with the name?” one person wrote on the bar’s Facebook page. “Mind explaining this incredibly obvious perpetuation of the longstanding stereotype of Asian women as exotic sex toys?”
Another wrote: “The creepy concept of this bar makes my skin crawl.”
“The gross cultural appropriation is abhorrent and they also refer to ‘geisha chicks’ in at least one of their posts while dressing their white staff in qipao [traditional Chinese dress] as though Asian cultures are all the same. Ugh.”
Venue Owner Eli West insisted the bar was named after “a famous Shanghai call girl … a quintessential icon of the ‘Shanghai Naughties’.”
“I have spent most of my life travelling in Indonesia and have some Chinese heritage and I like to think I may be related to a character very similar to Suey Sin,” West wrote.
“I love the idea of this seductive, alluring woman who had old world charm and poise but also knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. I see a bit of that in myself and the young women who will drink here.”
As News.com.au notes, however, Suey Sin wasn’t “a famous Shanghai call girl” but rather a Chinese woman in the film industry in Los Angeles back in the 1920s.
Suey Sins’ management has accepted that there has been criticism on social media, saying “We acknowledge and understand that there has been some criticism surround Suey Sins.”
“It has never been our intention to offend. We simply sought to create a venue that focuses on delicious Asian fusion inspired street style food and creative beverages for all to enjoy.”