"Words Are In English And Chinese Only": National Day T-Shirts Featuring Mostly Mandarin Text Spark Debate Online

With National Day just around the corner, it's that time of the year again when clothing brands in Singapore roll out their own designs of red tees for the occasion.

However, a set of red printed tees from what appears to be a National Day sale has recently caused quite the stir online, and not exactly for celebratory reasons.

Posted on Reddit, the photo showed two National Day T-shirt designs, one for children and one for adults. The kids' version featured a family waving the Singapore flag against a backdrop of fireworks and the city skyline, while the adults tee was decorated with a collage of local icons, including the Gardens by the Bay and the Merlion.

But the designs themselves weren't what caught people's attention. Instead, it was the text on the shirts. 

The smaller tee had "Singapore" and even the country's independence date written entirely in Mandarin. The adult tee also displayed "Singapore" prominently in Mandarin, with the English version in a smaller font beneath it, followed by the words "Together, as one united Singapore. Majulah Singapura" below in even smaller text.

The photo was captioned: “This is what we meant by Singapore is becoming like China. National Day shirt but the words are written in English and Chinese only. Why the heck do you even need Chinese words on it?! Where are the shirts with Malay or Tamil language? If anything, it should be Majulah Singapura on those shirts ‘cos Malay is the national language of Singapore.”

While the post did not specify where the shirts were being sold, the tags visible in the photo suggest they were from Hang Ten, a brand owned by a Hong Kong company.

Many netizens agreed that the shirts could have included all four of Singapore's official languages by adding Malay and Tamil alongside the existing English and Mandarin text.

Others even suggested alternative designs they would happily wear, such as one inspired by the familiar red-and-white "Danger – Keep Out" signs found at construction sites, which feature all four languages. Some also proposed putting a National Day spin on other iconic local signs, like the "Protected Place" sign, as a way to celebrate Singapore's multilingual identity.

Many said they would be more inclined to buy the shirts if all four official languages were represented more equally.

While some dismissed the designs as "ugly", joking that only children or the elderly would wear them, others felt the shirts would have been better received regardless if they had taken a more inclusive approach to the languages used.

The discussion also went beyond the shirts themselves. Some Chinese netizens said they, too, were uncomfortable with designs that felt overly Chinese-centric, adding that they would rather see merchandise reflect our culture better. 

However, some also pointed out that the shirts may have been intended for Chinese-speaking tourists looking to buy souvenirs, rather than locals shopping for National Day outfits. 

One commenter also felt the shirts looked more like tourist merchandise than National Day apparel.

Others also opined that, rather than blowing up the matter online and “turning it into an issue about race”, a more effective response would simply be not to buy the shirts. They believed poor sales would send a clearer message to retailers about the kinds of National Day designs Singaporeans want to see.

That said, what would your ideal National Day red tee look like?