Not The Onion: China Cracks Down on Funeral Strippers

[Surya Gayatri]

As the headline suggests, this is a real thing: Chinese families often hire strippers to dance graveside at funerals. And now the Chinese government wants that to stop.

The Wall Street Journal‘s China Real Time blog reported Thursday that the country’s Ministry of Culture will “work closely with the police to eliminate such performances, which are held with the goal of drawing more mourners.”

More from the report:

Pictures of a funeral in the city of Handan in northern Hebei province last month showed a dancer removing her bra as assembled parents and children watched. They were widely circulated online, prompting much opprobrium. In its Thursday statement, the Ministry of Culture cited “obscene” performances in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, as well as in Handan, and pledged to crack down on such lascivious last rites.

In the Handan incident earlier this year, the ministry said, six performers had arrived to offer an erotic dance at the funeral of an elderly resident. Investigators were dispatched and the performance was found to have violated public security regulations, with the person responsible for the performing troupe in question detained administratively for 15 days and fined 70,000 yuan (about $11,300), the statement said. The government condemned such performances for corrupting the social atmosphere.

Watch a piece on similar funeral stripping practices in Taiwan.

Taiwan showgirls strip for the dead

http://www.mediaite.com/online/not-the-onion-china-cracks-down-on-funeral-strippers/

_______________________

What can you say, really? Chalk this up to cultural diversity?

Maybe the deceased liked "nikkid girrrls"?

[Orrex]

1. I wish them luck in this grave undertaking.

[Surya Gayatri]

2. You had to go there, huh? LOL!

[Orrex]

3. Heh

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. Note to self. Schedule wake in strip club.

Heh. Could at least be equal opportunity, and get in both male and female strippers for the crowd.

[Surya Gayatri]

5. Somethin' for everybody, don't cha know?

[liberal N proud]

6. And you only thought it was the Irish who threw wild funerals

Uncle Wu wanted to have strippers send him off.

[Historic NY]

13. He gets his woo woo....

[TreasonousBastard]

7. As the comic said last night...

"It's disgraceful to have such a dignified ancient ritual interrupted... by a funeral."

[Gothmog]

8. Are we really sure that this is not from the Onion?

[Surya Gayatri]

9. No, but your confusion is understandable!

[NuclearDem]

10. A service also known as Stiffies for Stiffies.

[Surya Gayatri]

11. You didn't...bad, bad....

[NightWatcher]

12. Funerals, no, but at the hospital and hospice, yes please. Sounds like a great idea

Dad's recovering from hernia surgery, but the strippers and drugs are keeping him in good spirits.

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Great idea for the living, if that's what keeps them going!

[NightWatcher]

16. He died with a smile on his face that a team of morticians could not erase

And the funeral had to be open casket because they couldnt close the lower half

[Surya Gayatri]

17. He died the 'little death', eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_petite_mort

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Death_%28disambiguation%29

http://fr.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The+Little+Death

[Lurks Often]

14. Note to self: Update will to include strippers at wake or funeral or both