In China's rural areas, mourning the death of a loved one meant having more people in attendance is the best. Thus, some resorted to female strippers to draw in bigger crowds.
However, local governments in the country's Hebei and Jiangsu Provinces are now trying to put an end to this practice of having female strippers perform at funerals. Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, showed some photos of strippers during their performance at a funeral.
China's state-owned Xinhua News Agency said in a report that the government is now trying to pacify the practice, which it refers to as an "uncivilized act."
CNN reported a first-hand experience of an attendee to a funeral in Cheng'an County in Hebei, which even had children in the audience.
The funeral attendee told the publication that he was shocked seeing the strippers and how much they were paid for their performances. While the attendee viewed the strippers' show during the funeral as a bit inappropriate, the villagers were used to it.
Other burlesque performances at a funeral were observed in Handan City, also in Hebei, as well as in the city of Suqian in Jiangsu.
China's Ministry of Culture said in a statement this week that it has started a crackdown on all funeral stripteases in the country.
The Xinhua News Agency said the government would rather have its citizens stick to the old tradition of hiring professional mourners, known as "kusangren," who are actually paid to cry and wail at the funeral.
