Paris Court to Rule on Ridiculous, Insulting Play TitleThe Higher Court of Paris is expected to deliver a verdict on November 21 over the controversial name of a French play, ``Chinese and Dogs Not Allowed,'' which seriously hurt the feeling of Chinese people.The litigation, brought by several overseas Chinese groups in France on November 17, suits the Theatre De Nesles and playwright Francios Gibault, asking the court to remove the play from the theatre and letting Gibault to make a formal apology. The groups also demanded the plaintiff to pay a token one franc. Lin Jiazhe, vice-chairman of Overseas Chinese Association France, said he had full confidence in winning the case, following a court hearing on November 20. ``If our justice were not upheld by the court,'' Lin said, ``We could resort to other means, including taking to the streets.'' The play, which has nothing to do with Chinese, was dubbed from a novel in 1997 by Gibault, a lawyer who once lived in Shanghai. The writer gave the play the insulting title just to lure visitors, Lin said. Entitled ``Chinese and Dogs Not Allowed,'' the play has been on show at the Theatre De Nesles in Paris. The title, coming from an insulting term used in the colonial ear, has "seriously hurted the feeling of the Chinese nation, both at home and abroad, and is unacceptable", a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week. (Chinadaily.com.cn) |
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