Publicity stunt masterminded by food delivery firm is halted by authorities for ‘disturbing social order’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Chinese police have cracked down on dozens of half-naked foreigners who hit the streets of Beijing dressed as Spartan warriors.

Curious onlookers soon swarmed around the sandal-wearing models, who had been deployed to one of Beijing’s busiest shopping districts as part of a publicity stunt masterminded by Sweetie Salad, a local food delivery firm.

“Passersby scrambled to take photos of the men when they first appeared on the street, and the volume of onlookers was deemed disturbing by authorities,” the China Daily newspaper reported.

“As the crowd grew, its adverse impact on street order grew,” reported the Beijing Youth Daily.



After repeatedly warning the foreign “warriors” to retreat, Beijing police went on the offensive to “control” the mob.

Photographs posted on Chinese social media showed officers pinning two semi-clothed Spartans to the ground on a pedestrian walkway opposite an Adidas shop.

China Xinhua News (@XHNews) Male models in #Spartan costumes for a shop’s publicity stunt stopped by Beijing police for "disturbing social order" pic.twitter.com/lqhSlprCMy

An unknown number of the combatants were taken into custody.



“Handsome Spartan warriors tried to occupy the Chinese capital but were defeated by our awesome police in five seconds,” one witness said, according to state media.

A headline in the English-language Shanghai Daily newspaper read: “Spartacus subdued”.



State-controlled newspapers were unsympathetic. “In China, those who want to parade for any purposes must obtain a permit from the authorities beforehand,” the China Daily noted.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The male models were promoting ‘Sweetie Salad’ until their parade got out of hand. Photograph: Imaginechina/Rex Shutterstock

The Global Times, an English-language tabloid, saw a funnier side.

“I think I can accept naked delivery men,” mused one local interviewed by the newspaper . “Whether they are naked or not, I will eat my salad calmly.”

The company responsible for sending the Spartans onto the streets of Beijing issued a grovelling apology to China’s security services on Thursday. Sweetie Salad said it had put the muscle-bound models on the streets in order to promote “a nutritious diet and a healthy lifestyle”.



“Our ‘Spartans’event yesterday generated far more interest than we had expected,” the company said in a statement.



“We truly thank the police for giving us assistance and instructions during our event.”



Additional reporting by Luna Lin

