People are accusing the CDC of stoking anti-Asian racism with 2 Instagram posts that an art expert called an 'attack on Chinese cultural heritage'

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the cover art for the agency's Emerging and Infectious Diseases journal — and posted the artwork to Instagram.
• The cover choice sparked outrage from people arguing that the decision to use imagery from the Qing Dynasty feeds into escalating anti-Asian sentiments amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• People have voiced outrage on Instagram and Twitter, calling the cover choice "shameful" and "irresponsible."
• While the cover art and description are still available on the CDC website, it appears that the Instagram post has since been deleted — but the CDC's newest post featuring Asian food has spurred outrage once again.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is facing backlash after posting its Emerging and Infectious Diseases journal cover to Instagram on Tuesday. The peer-reviewed journal, which is published monthly, features art drawn from many periods in an attempt "to 'humanize' and enhance the scientific content by illustrating ideas, raising consciousness, revealing truth, stimulating the intellect, and firing the emotions," according to its website.

The May 2020 cover art, which is accessible on the CDC website, features an 18th century Qing military rank badge.

The cover image, the Instagram caption explained, "depicts a muscular leopard standing on a small piece of light brown, green-tinged land amidst flowering plants and fruit trees. The surrounding sky is filled with swooping bats and tendrils of clouds."

The description goes on to say that the animals depicted on rank badges "may also serve as zoonotic reservoirs capable of transmitting viral pathogens that can cause respiratory infections in humans."

After sharing the cover and explanation on Instagram, the CDC received swift backlash from people arguing that selected art feeds into escalating anti-Asian sentiments amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Twitter user @jadeitecabbage shared a screenshot of the Instagram post, calling the decision to use Qing dynasty insignia a "way to stoke up anti-asian sentiment while indulging in a hellish new take on orientalism."

The tweet received several hundred comments from outraged commenters, calling the choice "shameful" and "unreal."

"Rank badges come from across East Asia, China, Korea, Vietnam," one commenter wrote. "The beautiful wild creatures are not just markers of rank & status, as the post claims, but also symbols of duty, dignity & decency. Don't forget these virtues when you deride them as 'carriers of viruses.'"

Xiaoyu Weng, a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, told the Daily Dot that the symbols used in the cover art have "rich meaning and knowledge" behind them.

"You can see such symbols featured in historical art objects in museums like the Met, for example. By stripping free of the complexity, this association with COVID-19 is a baseless and very irresponsible way to disseminate fake knowledge," she said.

Weng also posted to her Instagram story, calling the cover art choice a "foundationless attack on Chinese cultural heritage."

It appears the CDC has since deleted the post.

A recent study of online discourse found that anti-Asian racism has surged in online communities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Network Contagion Research Institute, an independent organization that conducts research to track "misinformation, deception, manipulation, and hate across social media channels," released a report in early April titled "Weaponized Information Outbreak: A Case Study on Covid-19, Bioweapon Myths, and the Asian Conspiracy Meme."

According to the study, online forums witnessed a distinct uptick in derogatory terms for Chinese people in February of 2020 — while other slurs toward minority groups flatlined in relation to discussion of the novel coronavirus.

While the racist dialogue begins in smaller online communities like 4chan, the research suggests, anti-Asian sentiments have spilled over onto more "mainstream" outlets like Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram.

While the cover art post no longer appears on the CDC's Instagram, the agency is already receiving backlash for a new post.

As one Twitter user pointed out, the Instagram post featuring the May 2020 cover has been removed from the platform — but CDC's latest post, which details safety precautions patrons should take when ordering takeout, features Asian food.

"Protect yourself from #COVID19 while ordering delivery or take-out items: Order & pay online, or over the phone if possible, ask for deliveries to be left in a safe spot outside your home, accept take-out items without in-person contact or stay at least six feet away from others, and wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after getting your food," the caption reads.

In 24 hours, the post has racked up several thousand replies from commenters, many accusing the agency of feeding into racist "targeting" tactics.

"[D]id anyone think about insinuation of using a picture of Asian takeout food in your post about food safety? People of Asian descent have been targets of racist attacks due to the stigma and misinformation around the coronavirus," one commenter wrote. "Whether you meant to or not, people may interpret your post as suggesting Asian food is more likely to harbor the virus than other cuisines."

"Why did you use a picture of Chinese takeout food to convey this message? Did you think we wouldn't notice it, especially after your racist post yesterday connecting an ancient Chinese art piece with coronavirus?" another said. "STOP TARGETING ASIAN AMERICANS. PERIOD."

The CDC did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.