Funeral strippers in China had gone too far in their performance to attract big crowds, causing the government to order a crackdown.

In March, during one funeral in Handan, the female dancer removed her bra in front of mourners, including children. Images of the topless stripper were circulated in social media, reports the Wall Street Journal. The 180-minute performance, deemed pornographic by the ministry, resulted in the Red Rose Dance Ensemble having to pay a fine of $11,300 for its February 15 strip show at the funeral of an elderly Handan resident.

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A similar show was made in another funeral on February 27, resulting in the arrest of tree people. Meanwhile, in another funeral, the strippers had snakes with them.

The crackdown, led by the Ministry of Culture, will tap the police to focus on commercial performance market. Also under the radar of the regulators are performances that involve removal of clothing that cover vital body parts and other acts considered as illegal business performance.

The practice is prevalent in parts of China, such as Jiangsu and Handan, and in Taiwan as well. The strippers held draw big crowds, which is an indicator that the dead is a wealthy person, similar to large weddings. In the case of older Chinese, the strip is like a send-off party for a person who has led a long life.

Princeton University assistant professor of east Asian studies Everett Zhang explains, "In China, when the person dies is very old and has lived a long life, this kind of occasion becomes purely a celebration." He said the locals are expected to react negatively to the order.

A documentary film on the practice, titled "Dancing for the Dead: Funeral Strippers in Taiwan," by Marc Moskowitz, said full stripping at funerals is rare because of laws that ban public nudity. Moskowitz is an anthropologists at the University of Southern Carolina.

He said, "It's not at all common for urbanites, but in rural settings, most people have seen these performances. Actual full stripping has gone underground because there were laws enacted against full-nudity in the mid-80s, so that isn't as popular as it once was," quotes Huffington Post.

Tagsfuneral strippers, Crackdown, Taiwan