China wages war on funeral strippers

Some experts say the erotic shows pay tribute to fertility - REX/Shutterstock
Some experts say the erotic shows pay tribute to fertility - REX/Shutterstock

China has launched its latest crackdown against a phenomenon which just won't seem to die in rural areas - funeral strippers.

The Ministry of Culture said last month that it was targeting "striptease" and other "obscene, pornographic, and vulgar performances" at funerals, weddings and traditional Chinese New Year public gatherings.

The war on strippers at funerals has been a long one for China. Authorities first began clamping down on "obscene" performances in 2006 and launched a second campaign in 2015.

The latest is focused on 19 cities across four provinces, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hebei, a statement on the website of the Ministry of Culture said.

A stripper performs at a funeral at Handan city, Hebei province, China - March 2015 - Credit: REX/Shutterstock
A stripper performs at a funeral at Handan city, Hebei province in March 2015 Credit: REX/Shutterstock

Some communities in rural China reportedly believe that bigger attendances at funerals help to honour the dead and bring them good fortune.

But some experts say the erotic shows pay tribute to fertility.

"According to the interpretation of cultural anthropology, the fete is originated from the worship of reproduction," media professor Kuang Haiyan said, according to The Global Times. "Therefore the erotic performance at the funeral is just a cultural atavism."

Children and adults watch a striptease show at a funeral in Cheng'an county, Hebei Province, China. - Credit: Zhang/Global Times
Children and adults watch the striptease shows Credit: Zhang/Global Times

Reports say the new campaign involves people being offered financial rewards to contact a special "hotline" to report "funeral misdeeds".

Media has often blamed the shows on the increasing decadence and materialism of Chinese families, as the country opens up the West.

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"In recent decades," the Global Times said on Tuesday, "Chinese rural households are more inclined to show off their disposable incomes by paying out several times their annual income for actors, singers, comedians, and - most recently, strippers - to comfort the bereaved and entertain the mourners."

Xinhua news agency said in 2015 that exotic performances highlight "the trappings of modern life in China, whereby vanity and snobbery prevail over traditions."