BEIJING – Photos of two ladies allowed to drive their luxury car into Beijing’s Forbidden City sparks social media storm over preferential treatment dispensed to the rich and powerful.
Photos showed the pair posing in front of their SUV and the UNESCO World Heritage Site as their backdrop, with a caption saying “Monday it's closed, but we avoid the tourists and have fun in the Palace Museum".
Cars have been forbidden in the six centuries old site since 2013, and while administration of the Forbidden City have issued an apology to prevent “such phenomena” in the future, it remains unknown why the ladies were allowed to bring their vehicle on site into areas dating back to the Ming dynasty.
“We feel deeply distressed and sincerely apologise to the public,” the post by the Palace Museum read. “We will … stop it from happening again.”
Of the pair, one claimed to be related to senior officials, reinforcing widespread public perception that certain individuals are granted special privileges and treated different than ordinary citizens thanks to their connections.
Others have also brought up how even former French president Francois Hollande who visited in 2013, had to leave his car parked outside and walk to reach the inner grounds of the palace.