The Naked And The Dead

May be going their separate ways in China in the future. Chinese authorities have arrested five strippers who performed at a funeral. Yup, strip shows at funerals may be a thing of the past.

Strip shows have been commonly used to attract more mourners to funerals, as villagers believe a crowded send-off brings more honor to the deceased, Xinhua news agency said.

But police took action after state television exposed the "obscene performances" at a funeral in Donghai county, Jiangsu province, with 200 people including children in attendance, it said.

"When the performance reached a climax, two performers started stripping and to show their charm. They even dragged audiences onto the stage to join them," Beijing News said, citing the television report.

Wealthier families in villages often employ two troupes of performers to try to draw a crowd at the funerals of their loved ones.

After the television report, the local government quickly issued an order to stop the practice and demanded that village committees have to report details of each funeral plan within 12 hours after a villager dies.

No word on whether the guest of honor enjoys the show, though. However, one can't help but wonder if this news item isn't somehow related to this one:

Chinese sex toys confiscated in Vietnam.

Police and market inspectors Thursday confiscated the illegal shipment, which included more than 10,000 tablets of Viagra, sex toys and sexual stimulants in the form of tablets, powder and liquid hidden in a truckload of onions, the Laborer newspaper said.

The newspaper quoted a truck driver Mai Ngoc Hoang as saying he was hired to transport the goods from the northern province of Lang Son bordering China to Ho Chi Minh City.

The mind boggles. Well ours do anyway.