Lululemon Apologizes After Chinese Actor's Great Wall Drum Performance Sparks Controversy

Lululemon apologized on Tuesday after a drum performance by brand ambassador Zhu Yilong at a Great Wall event drew accusations the instrument was a Japanese taiko, not a Chinese drum.

Zhu, a Chinese actor and Lululemon ambassador, performed May 30 at the Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall in Beijing, where the company held a yoga festival billed as "Yoga Meets the Great Wall" to mark its 10th year in China, according to Lululemon. He performed alongside the Fanxiang HiiKo percussion group in a segment the brand initially promoted as a performance on traditional Chinese drums.

In early June, percussionists and social media users said the drum's barrel-shaped body, crossed red-rope bindings and angled stand more closely matched a Japanese taiko than a traditional Chinese drum, according to reports by Chinese outlets including The Paper. Some users also said a rehearsal schedule the brand posted on the Xiaohongshu platform labeled the instrument as a "taiko," and that the post was later deleted, the reports said.

Others disputed that the instrument was Japanese. Supporters of the actor and some cultural enthusiasts said it may have been a reconstruction of the jiegu, a Tang Dynasty percussion instrument, citing the percussion group's work recreating ancient Chinese instruments. But percussionist Xu Yang was among those who questioned that view, saying the instrument's form and performance style aligned more closely with Japanese taiko.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lululemon said the event had been intended to honor Chinese culture but that limitations in its professional knowledge had kept it from identifying the potential for controversy at an earlier stage. The company said it should have exercised greater care in planning and vetting the drum segment, apologized to the public and to Zhu, and said it had removed all related promotional material.

Zhu's studio also issued a statement on Tuesday, saying it had urged the brand to verify the full planning process and was reviewing the matter. The studio said Zhu and his team remain committed to promoting traditional Chinese culture and to accuracy in cultural expression.