China punishes publishers for portraying country's children as 'ugly' in textbook drawings

More than two dozen education officials in China have been punished for a series of math textbook drawings that an investigation discovered portrayed the country's children as "ugly," Bloomberg reported.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on Monday, 27 officials from the state-owned publisher were reprimanded or fired for illustrations that "fell short of the fundamental requirements of moral education."

“The overall style of the illustrations do not conform to the aesthetic tastes of the public,” the ministry said. “Some illustrated characters are ugly, show poor spirit and style, and do not reflect a positive image of our nation’s children,” Bloomberg quoted the ministry as saying.

In May, drawings of students with small eyes that some called racist, the apparent depiction of male genitalia on boys' pants, and children wearing clothing bearing stars and stripes that was seen as pro-America attire sparked outrage on Chinese social media.

After being ordered to redesign its materials for the semester beginning in September, the country's largest textbook publisher issued a public apology on its official WeChat account in May.

In recent years, China has tightened control over its textbooks and curriculum in order to instil patriotism in its youth. The government has taken steps to forbid textbooks from overseas publishers and has educated primary and secondary students on President Xi Jinping's ideological teachings.

According to the education ministry, the publisher did not understand the purpose of educational texts. It promised to reinforce the Communist Party's leadership over educational materials in order to guarantee that they "always adhere to the correct political direction and value orientation."