Supermodel Liu Wen was heavily criticised on social media for using the phrase "Lunar New Year" with many Chinese netizens accusing her of being "unpatriotic".
In a recent Instagram post marking her New Year celebrations, Liu posted the message "Happy Lunar New Year” instead of “Happy Chinese New Year”, drawing backlash from her Chinese followers.
Liu, who was listed as one of the world's highest-paid models by Forbes, was accused by Chinese social media users for disrespecting her culture and heritage.
"A bunch of Chinese people saying, 'Lunar New Year', instead of 'Chinese New Year', no wonder there are so many traitors,” one user said.
Many comments written in Chinese also denounced Liu for pandering to other Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Korea, which also celebrated the first day of the lunar calendar that began on February 16.
"If you want to become Vietnamese so badly, get out and don't come back to China," another user said.
The phrase "Lunar New Year" is often used as a broad term for marking the annual festival celebrated by millions across Asia, but some believe the phrase does not pay tribute to its Chinese origins.
China's celebration of the festival dates back to ancient worshiping rituals of its agrarian society and was deemed an official ceremony during the Han dynasty's implementation of the lunar calendar.
Another user said: "It is okay for non-Chinese people not to say Chinese New Year, but it's really sad for a Chinese person not to say it. We can't expect others to respect our culture if we don't respect it ourselves."
Liu has since changed her post to "Happy Chinese New Year", which was originally posted with a photo of her posing with businesswoman Wendi Deng under a kumquat tree, a traditional Chinese symbol of good fortune.
Since the backlash, many users have come to Liu's defence, saying both phrases were correct and equated the excessive nationalistic sentiments to online bullying.
Others have pointed out that the term "Lunar New Year" is actually more appropriate as the direct translation from Chinese is "Farmers' New Year", which specifically references the lunar calendar.
With 3.7 million Instagram followers, Liu is one of China's most popular celebrities - affectionately known as "big sister" to her fans.
In recent years, the rise of social media platforms in China has galvanised a new generation of nationalist netizens who have taken it upon themselves to publicly shame anyone they believe has offended their country.
Shuping Yang, a Chinese graduate of the University of Marlyand, was forced to apologise last year after she praised democratic freedoms in the United States as "fresh air" in her commencement speech, according to The Washington Post.
