Discussions sparked on social media Wednesday after Net user "ChenxiZhongdeMogu" posted the screenshot from the period detective show Young Justice Bao (Shaonian Baoqingtian), season two.
Originally aired in 2001, the scene from episode 37 shows a cemetery and what was intended to be two burnt bodies slouched in coffins.
But as ChenxiZhongdeMogu points out, a closer look reveals neither props nor extras in makeup.
"Only watching it again did I see that [the show] used two black men to stand in for charred bodies … I almost laughed to death," read the post.
The cast boasted some of today's biggest Chinese stars, such as a young Fan Bingbing and Tong Dawei.
While many on social media simply made cracks about the absurdity of the decision, some asked questions.
"Is this considered racism?" posted "qingxinxiaoquexing."
"If this was the US, there'd be yelling all the way to the White House," wrote Changliuxiaxian.
Others delved deeper.
"Aren't we afraid our black brothers will misunderstand this kind of vulgar news? The media creates fear of Japan and S. Korea, and now racism. This reflects the sad state of Chinese law, and the education level among Chinese," writes songfishyy.
"Those who question whether this is racial discrimination are the people who really discriminate, and they do not dare to confess that?" writes Wuxiaopang.
This article originally appeared on the Global Times website
