The official and other employees inspect a local enterprise in Nangong, North China's Hebei Province, on September 3, 2023. Photo from Nangong city's official WeChat account

Official photos of a city Party chief in North China's Hebei Province, with his shirt's logo removed by editing, have sparked a wide-ranging discussion among Chinese netizens, with some speculating that it was a move to obscure the price of the clothing. 

In an article posted via Nangong city's official WeChat account on Sunday, the official's daily work was released, with one picture of his shirt logo in, followed by another two pictures without shirt logo. Some netizens questioned the reasons why they removed the shirt logo, and some checked the similar coat prices online discovering the high retail price for the item, according to media reports.

In response to the controversy triggered by the incident, the local authorities said that the logo was removed due to the "aesthetic reasons," according to Hubei-based Jimu News. Meanwhile, the polo shirt was bought about two or three years ago with a retail price of around 500 yuan ($68.47) to 600 yuan, the report noted.

The operator of the account didn't remove the shirt logo in the first picture as the logo is not prominent enough, however, the logo in the other two pictures "caused visual conflict." The operator was said to lack experience, with the photos not properly vetted, causing the misunderstanding of netizens, according to the report.

The topic related to this incident has gained more than 83 million views as of Tuesday afternoon, with many netizens saying the relevant employee was actually "drawing a snake and adding feet."

"It could be a normal situation to wear a polo shirt. However, once they used photoshop to edit the pictures, which drew public attention," one netizen wrote.

Why are netizens cautious over the shirt's logo? Because as an official, their clothing and wearing style represents their working style and attitude to life, another commented.