She’s not sorry for driving her Mercedes-Benz in the Forbidden City
Photo credit: The China Project illustration by Derek Zheng
The Palace Museum, the official name of the Forbidden City in Beijing, has apologized for its “poor management” after photos of two women posing next to a Mercedes-Benz SUV in the centuries-old palace complex made a splash on the internet. Home to China’s Ming and Qing dynasty emperors from 1764 to 1911, the museum is one of China’s leading tourist attractions.
While the museum suspended two senior-level employees pending an investigation into the matter, the apology didn’t sit well with many people on Chinese social media, who believe that the women were allowed to ignore the museum’s ban on cars because of their family backgrounds and wealth.
As the public is still fuming over the scandal, the woman who shared the photos has moved on from the dispute. On January 19, she posted a selfie and a video of the luxury car on Instagram, tagging Las Vegas as her recent location. The driver captioned her selfie with three lemon emojis, implying that her haters bashed her because they felt “sour” from jealousy of her luxury lifestyle.
