Science journal mistakenly uses flyer for Macau brothel to illustrate report on China

[emad]

Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Tuesday, 9 December 2008

A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.

Chinese characters look dramatic and beautiful, and have a powerful visual impact, but make sure you get the meaning of the characters straight before jumping right in.

There were red faces on the editorial board of one of Germany's top scientific institutions, the Max Planck Institute, after it ran the text of a handbill for a Macau strip club on the front page of its latest journal. Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the MaxPlanckForschung journal, but instead of poetry they ran a text effectively proclaiming "Hot Housewives in action!" on the front of the third-quarter edition. Their "enchanting and coquettish performance" was highly recommended.

The use of traditional Chinese characters and references to "the northern mainland" seem to indicate the text comes from Hong Kong or Macau, and it promises burlesque acts by pretty-as-jade housewives with hot bodies for the daytime visitor.


http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chinese-classical-poem-was-brothel-ad-1058031.html

[saltpoint]

1. "...and hell, as long as you're in town..."

[emad]

2. Max Planck Institute...consulted a German sinologist

....consulted a German sinologist prior to publication of the text. "To our sincere regret ... it has now emerged that the text contains deeper levels of meaning, which are not immediately accessible to a non-native speaker," the institute said in an apology.

Maybe they should change their names to the Max Plonkers Institute...

[Schema Thing]

3. I'm sure some scientist got Max Plank indeed.

[Botany]

4. I have always thought that many of the Chinese characters that are ....

... tattoos must say "dumb ass white man" or e.z. college girl.

[Greyskye]

5. Last line of the linked article:

"I recently met a German girl with a Chinese tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so loud, I could hardly breathe."

You'd be right! :rofl:

[SnowGoose]

6. Website collecting similar instances

http://www.hanzismatter.com is kind of a counterpart to the more famous engrish.com. Although not nearly so funny to us "american speakers", I'm sure our mistakes are as hilarious to the knowledgeable.

If you haven't seen engrish.com, I'll take the karmic hit to show you this example: