Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn has posted an anti-China campaign ad on social media, where she destroys fortune cookies and vows to "stop communist China and protect Tennessee land."

Seated in what appears to be a Chinese restaurant, the senator - who is running for Tennessee governor - says to the camera: "How hard am I going to crack down on China? Well, here's a clue." She then proceeds to crush fortune cookies in her hands, leaving the broken pieces in a pile on the table.

In one shot, a piece of paper can be seen poking out from a broken cookie, reading: "Marsha Blackburn will fight to protect Tennessee land from China." Another shot shows a slip of paper reading: "Marsha Blackburn will close loopholes and hunt down communists."

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"It doesn't take a fortune cookie to figure it out," she says at the end. "Here in Tennessee, we're going to stop communist China and protect Tennessee land." The video was posted on Wednesday morning and less than 24 hours later had accumulated more than 1.3 million views.

Fortune cookies, which are thin, crispy wafers that typically contain a slip of paper inside with a fortune message, are not actually from China.

They originate from Japan, despite now being served in many Chinese restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere at the end of a meal. They are rarely found in China, according to the South China Morning Post.

In the early 1900s, Japanese immigrants brought these cookies to America, but after World War II, when thousands of Japanese Americans were detained, Chinese Americans began to take over the business of baking the cookies.

The video also features a waving cat at the end, known as a "maneki-neko" or "beckoning cat," which also originates from Japan, and not China, even though they are often seen in Chinese businesses as well. The soy sauce seen in the ad - Kikkoman - is a Japanese brand.

Blackburn's video has since gathered significant push back on social media, with some deeming it "racist."

Newsweek has contacted Blackburn's press office outside of regular working hours via email for comment.