To die, so with music: a strange tradition of striptease at funerals
It's not the first time the Chinese authorities have tried to ban calling strippers... for funerals! What exotic dancers do on such a sad day-we tell in our material.
In some regions of China (and not only), at the funerals of wealthy people, you could see a magnificent funeral procession, in which invited strippers took part. The girls were writhing at the pylon on the roofs of slow-moving cars and seemed to feel quite comfortable in such unusual circumstances.
Although the Chinese authorities constantly call such scenes "offensive and vulgar", so far the ban on dancers is the most alive.
According to one theory, strippers at funerals are designed to stir up the crowd — a large crowd means that the deceased was a respected person, and many people came to honor his memory.
According to another version (which, however, does not contradict the first one), erotic dances played the role of a kind of "fertility ritual".
Huan Jianxin, a professor at a university in Fujian Province, comments on this tradition as follows :" In some local cultures, a dance with erotic elements can be considered as the embodiment of the deceased's desire to be blessed with many children."
It is believed that the tradition originates from the 90s of the last century, from Taiwan, where at that time the local mafia completely seized control of the funeral business, but it offered dancers from its clubs at a reduced price. But in historical reports, the mention of a woman undressing in a temple dates back to the second half of the XVIII century.
Although it does occur in other remote parts of China, the practice is most widespread in Taiwan. But even there in large cities, you will not encounter anything like this.
The purpose of erotic dance is not only to gather a crowd (although this is also, of course), but also to calm the grieving, to cheer up their spirit. What happens at a funeral depends on the specific group of people. Usually the performance includes special cars with poles attached to the roof, strippers dance on them, music, fireworks and neon-lit scenes.
Pleasure is not cheap, so, of course, not everyone can afford erotic dancers. Sometimes dancers take off their bras and panties in front of a heated crowd.
Scandals break out every now and then in connection with this tradition.
For example, a year ago, not only drummers and an orchestra were invited to the funeral of one of the Taiwanese politicians, but also 50 half-naked girls who performed an incendiary dance on the roofs of cars. In response to the attacks from the public, the family of the deceased replied that they just wanted to honor the memory of the deceased, who loved to have fun.
If the family wants to comply with the current legislation and avoid undressing in public, they sometimes invite striptease dancers instead, for example, cheerleaders.
The Chinese government is outraged by this practice. They call the performances uncivilized and emphasize that those who call strippers to funerals should be severely punished.
Most of all, of course, they are concerned about public nudity, especially in the presence of minors. So, the authorities punish both the performers and the organizers of such a scenario.
It is not known how this will end, but the Chinese government has set itself the goal of eradicating the "vulgar custom".
Keywords: China | Scandal | Death | Striptease