No, seriously – China’s Ministry of Culture has announced it will be targeting “striptease” and other “obscene, pornographic and vulgar performances” at funerals, weddings and other public gatherings across its four rural provinces.
Hiring “entertainment” for funerals is apparently a long-running tradition in rural China because having a large number of mourners is considered a sign of respect to the dead – and strippers attract a bigger turn-out, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.
It’s not the first time Chinese authorities have tried to stamp out the practice. In 2015, the Ministry declared the “uncivilised” performances were “corrupting the social atmosphere” after photos of the funerals went viral on Chinese social media.
Witnesses are now being urged to call a special hotline if they see any “funeral misdeeds” in exchange for a cash reward.
We’re not sure how many calls they’ll get though. According to one commenter: “As long as everyone’s happy, it’s all good!”
