Political Turmoil
As another result of his friendship with Zhang (Chang), Hergé became increasingly aware of the problems of colonialism, in particular the Japanese Empire's advances into China. Tintin also rescues a Chinese man from a racist bully called Gibbons, who strives to get his revenge with the assistance of Dawson, the corrupt police chief of the Shanghai International Settlement. The Japanese and some European characters are portrayed in a negative light, and their cartoon forms are somewhat racist. The Japanese, including the character of Mitsuhirato and Japanese soldiers, are shown with beaming teeth while the Chinese are shown as tight-lipped. As a result it drew sharp criticism from various parties, including a protest by Japanese diplomats to the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
The Republic of China was so pleased with the album that its leader at the time, Chiang Kai-shek, invited Hergé for a visit. However, because of objections to the implied ideology of Tintin, the People's Republic of China forbade the publication of the album for a long time. It finally allowed publication in 1984, but some controversial items were changed. For example the words 抵制日貨, dǐ zhì rì huò, "Down with Japanese products!" was changed to 大吉路, dà jí lù, "Great Luck road".
Read more about this topic: The Blue Lotus
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