Chinese official poster accidentally refers to gay sex in prison

Poster shows fresh chrysanthemum titled 'before jail'

Chinese officials in Manzhouli City, China, were forced to take down a government poster accidentally referencing gay sex in prison, Chinese-language Xinhua News reports.

The poster featured this caption: “The court of Manzhouli reminds citizens to respect the law, or else . . .”, followed by a picture of a fresh chrysanthemum flower titled “Before Jail” and a tattered sunflower titled “After Jail.”

Officials apparently did not realize that in Chinese internet parlance, chrysanthemums are a euphemism for “anus.”

Officials quickly issued a statement clarifying that the poster was intended to suggest, “Those who respect the law will stay in full bloom, and those who break the law will wither.”

“Who knew the Manzhouli courts were so avant-garde?” joked one Chinese commenter online.

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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