Source  – dailyoffbeat.com

– According to CNN, China is cracking down on funeral strippers, who perform graveside in an attempt to attract a bigger crown for the deceased’s final appearances. Funeral organizers hope the crowds attracted by the strippers will reflect well on the deceased.

The Chinese Ministry of Culture doesn’t want any more strippers performing at funeral. They released a statement saying they will work with police to enforce a ban on hiring women to strip during funeral processions.

“This type of illegal operation disrupts order of the cultural market in the countryside and corrupts social morals and manners,” the Chinese Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

The statement cited several “obscene” incidents, including a funeral in Heibei province where six women were hired to erotic dance at a funeral that was reportedly attended by small children.

“Having exotic performances of this nature at funerals highlights the trappings of modern life in China, whereby vanity and snobbery prevail over traditions,” Xinhua News Agency reported.

Obscenity laws in China already prohibit public nudity. A National Geographic video focused on the decades-old tradition of hiring funeral dancers to draw mourners. National Geographic pointed out that “respect for the dead is measured in crowd size.”

The culture ministry condemned the practice as “uncivilized.”  Authorities previously tried to crack down on the custom without success.

The Red Rose Singing and Dance Troupe was detained for 15 days and fined more than $11,000 In February, according to China’s government. Three strippers in Shuyang County in Jiangsu were also detained.

People hire strippers to perform at funerals to drum up crowds. According to a 2006 story by the state-run New China News Service, it is believed that “the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honored.”

Funeral strippers perform on the tops of trucks on the island of Taiwan.

http://www.dailyoffbeat.com/articles/7891/20150429/funeral-strippers-china.htm