SINGAPORE — London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled a £7 million campaign to combat what he describes as "lies and hatred" about crime in London, prompting immediate concern from Chinese communities worldwide who recognised the announcement as matching the exact structure of a famous cautionary tale.
The campaign aims to reassure the public that London remains one of the world's greatest cities and that negative narratives surrounding crime have been exaggerated by critics, political opponents, social media accounts, residents, tourists, shopkeepers, police statistics, and occasionally crime itself.
However, the initiative quickly ran into trouble after Chinese netizens pointed out its similarity to the ancient idiom 此地无银三百两 ("There are no 300 taels of silver buried here").
The story concerns a man who buried 300 taels of silver underground before placing a sign above the spot reading: "There are no 300 taels of silver buried here."
The silver was subsequently stolen.
"Historically speaking, spending £7 million to tell people there isn't a problem has never been considered a strong move," said Professor Lim Beh Long of the Institute of Obvious Human Behaviour.
"Usually when governments launch a multi-million dollar campaign explaining why people shouldn't believe their own eyes, ears, and personal experiences, it tends to attract additional curiosity."
The campaign reportedly includes billboards, social media advertisements, public outreach initiatives, and educational materials reminding citizens that London is safe, welcoming, and definitely not experiencing the kind of crime problems that would require a £7 million campaign to explain otherwise.
Experts noted that many successful cities have managed to avoid launching similar programmes.
"Tokyo has never had to spend millions telling people Tokyo is safe," said one analyst. "Neither has Singapore. The entire campaign seems to rest on the assumption that if enough money is spent saying something, reality will eventually cooperate."
London residents expressed mixed reactions.
"I wasn't actually thinking about crime today," admitted one commuter. "But then I saw three posters, two online advertisements, and a government-sponsored video informing me that concerns about crime were misinformation. Now I'm wondering what happened."
The Mayor's office rejected suggestions that the campaign resembled the Chinese proverb.
"This is completely different," a spokesperson explained. "The man in the story merely put up a sign. We have allocated £7 million."
At press time, officials were reportedly considering a second £15 million campaign to reassure the public that needing a £7 million campaign was itself perfectly normal.