Beijing opera in bikini
Alia | September 27th, 2012 - 2:51 am
Recently, many Chinese netizens suddenly showed interests in Beijing opera, a dying art form in China, all because of a set of viral photos at the China Final of the 37th Miss Biniki International beauty contest.
According to an article by Sina Entertainment News, the photos were shot at the press conference of the 37th Miss Bikini International where winners of the previous contest put together a performance, wearing hand-stitched bikinis and head wears typically seen in Beijing operas. The background music was melodies from Kunqu opera, another famous form of Chinese opera. The director of the event said the combination of bikini and Beijing opera looks is to “promote oriental beauty.” But most netizens thought it was a humiliation to traditional Chinese culture and a disgrace to a precious art form. Nevertheless, if all Beijing operas were performed in bikinis, more young people would probably be drawn to the theaters.
[Pictures from Sina Slides]
