The Chinese government on Thursday announced a crackdown on strippers at funerals, a common practice in the countryside designed to attract mourners.
More inspections were ordered in villages following recent cases including a funeral in Hebei province where a woman was photographed removing her bra in front of children and images of the deceased.
“Illegal performances such as strip dances have been occurring in rural areas from time to time that have disrupted the cultural market and created a negative influence on the social environment,” the Ministry of Culture said in a statement on its website.
In Hebei, the manager of the exotic dance troupe that performed at the recent funeral was detained by police for 15 days and fined 70,000 yuan (US$11,000).
In another case in February cited by the government, three dancers performed what was described as an “obscene act” at a funeral in a village in Jiangsu province.
“They (families) want to have as many people as possible attend the funeral. In this way, they feel they fulfill their obligation of fidelity to their elders,” Zhang Chengdong, vice-president of the Jiangsu Festival and Events Association, told the state-run China Daily.
Although recent cases have focused on Hebei and Jiangsu, striptease troupes are widespread throughout rural areas in eastern China where they charge to perform at funerals, outside factories and at other events around villages.
In 2006, China’s state broadcaster CCTV aired an expose that showed striptease troupes charging over $300 for performances that included nudity.
The practice is a modern twist on traditional Chinese funerals where the number of attendees, noise generated and length of ceremony are the measures of success. Some funerals cost tens of thousands of dollars and continue for more than 49 days — the standard period for a traditional funeral with prayers at regular intervals.
In the past, authorities appeared to tolerate the strip shows, which are illegal in China, but recently police have cracked down amid a “rule of law” campaign initiated by President Xi Jinping.
Images of stripping at funerals posted on social media have this week prompted critical comments of both the troupes involved and the government’s response.
“It is a bit late now!” one user wrote Friday on the Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo. “This thing has been around for 20 years in rural areas, and now you say there’s a crackdown?”
