Da Fan Guo Restaurant, literally "Big Pot Restaurant", found itself the centre of more controversy than it bargained for when it decided to hang an enormous work satirising the classic painting of the Great Ceremony of the Nation's Founding.
The attractive 2 meter by 4 meter painting almost covers the entire wall opposite the entrance. It's almost an exact copy of the original Great Ceremony of the Nation's Founding, but with one crucial difference. In the restaurant's version, Chairman Mao proudly proclaims, "The Da Fan Guo Restaurant is established".
It's a satiric twist on Artist Dong Xiwen's original painting, which records the historic moment when Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the New China to the world from Tian'an men tower.
A restaurant employee said the painting is the most attractive feature in the whole restaurant, which also dedicates its entire second floor to pictures of Chairman Mao's work and life.
Other customers have viewed the painting with less than positive emotions. One customer, Mr Tang, said that as an old man who lived through the actual events, he couldn't stand this form of promotion. He said it shows disrespect to Chairman Mao and the nation.
Spoofs and satires have become an increasingly popular form of humor, but Yu Xiong hua, deputy director of Journalism at Hunan Normal University, said we have to be able to draw the line. It's acceptable to make fun of daily life and entertainment activities, but he said we should be serious when dealing the way we feel about our nation and country.
The painting has gone one step beyond merely violating the bounds of good taste; it may actually be illegal. The Chief of the Advertising Supervision Office at the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce, Zhou Dixin said the painting violates item 7 of the Advertisement Law, which stipulates that ads should be healthy and maintain the country's dignity and interest. The office will conduct further investigations into the matter and take steps to correct the restaurant's action.
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