I guess one Taiwanese man who lived to 103 got what he wanted… a stripper at his funeral.
Son Honors Dad’s Wish, Hires Stripper for Taiwan Funeral
Tuesday, March 25, 2008A man hired a stripper to perform at the funeral of his father — who happened to have a fondness for gentlemen’s clubs, according to reports from Taiwan.
Taiwanese newspaper the United Daily News reported that Cai Jinlai had been promised a stripper for his funeral if he lived to 100.
Jinlai was 103 when he died — reportedly leaving behind more than 100 “descendants.”
He had died after walking about 3.1 miles to a town in Taichung County to vote in an election in the Taichung.
His son, Cai Ruigong, told the newspaper that he had paid more than $170 for the stripper to dance around the coffin at the funeral.
“He would travel around the island with his friends to see these [strip] shows,” Ruigong said.
According to reports, the exotic dancer performance at the funeral lasted 10 minutes.
I think it’s an interesting juxtaposition that the man died while walking 3+ miles to VOTE in the elections. Oh those Taiwanese people… crazy about voting!!!
Thanks to Grace Chu for this tip.
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John wrote:
Actually, I think this might be a common practice in Taiwan. I have heard of this before, including my grandfather’s funeral…
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
There was a stripped at your grandfather’s funeral, John?
Really??!!
Were you there for it???
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 1:25 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
*stripper
(I can type. Really, I can.)
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 1:26 pm | Permalink
Bo wrote:
What I don’t understand is if his son had $170 to hire a stripper for the funeral why couldn’t his son give him some money to take a car or bus to the voting center? His dad might still be alive today.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 1:41 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
I second Bo’s wise observation.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 1:47 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
For the record, there was no stripper at my grandfather’s funeral.
Nor my father’s either.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 1:54 pm | Permalink
Akrypti wrote:
The printing (and truth) of these stories are precisely why people think the Taiwanese are CRAZY MUTHAFUCKAS.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 2:07 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Akrypti,
Hellz yeah! I love my Taiwanese peeps!
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 2:22 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
I think it’s time for a YouTube video of a Taiwanese parliament brawl! Crazy Taiwanese represent!
I leave you with an oldie but goodie. Taiwanese man jumps into lion’s den to convert them to Christianity.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 2:32 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
Oh wait… I’m totally not done. Here’s a link to a story reporting that an opposition candidate in Taiwan threw live piglets a police to disrupt an event.
——————-
World - Asia/Pacific
Flinging piglets at politician prompts outrage in Taiwan
November 4, 1998
Web posted at: 9:09 p.m. EST (0209 GMT)
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (CNN) — Animal rights activists in Taiwan are furious over a protest in which an opposition candidate threw live piglets at police during a demonstration.
The scandal was touched off last week during a protest against Taiwan’s governor James Soong, led by Hsu Yi-Shang, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate in next month’s legislative elections.
Hsu brought six live piglets to a venue where Soong was to appear, planning to disrupt the event. When the governor tried to make his way through the crowd, Hsu and his supporters were blocked by the police.
They then ran toward the piglets and flung the screaming animals at the governor. Others threw piglets at the governor’s aides and police.
Animal rights activists denounced Hsu, calling the action “torture.” But Hsu said they were over- reacting, because the pigs were going to be eaten anyway.
The fate of the piglets is unknown.
Accompanying video here.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 2:36 pm | Permalink
Akrypti wrote:
Two more stories, Grace:
1) While cruising through a safari in South Africa, my friend said the tourguide warned him against getting out of the jeep. The friend looked at the tourguide like, “No, duh?” Tourguide then says well, we had a bunch of Taiwanese girls here earlier and they got out of their car to play with some of the lions and subsequently got eaten alive.
2) Freshman year of college while volunteering at a zoo, I saw a polar bear and the polar bear looked very sad. I decided to give the polar bear a hug. I climbed over the fence into the den and started walking toward the polar bear. I was about 5 feet away from a giant polar bear before zoo personnel saw me and fished me out of that situation. And. I’m Taiwanese.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 3:40 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Akrypti,
You did NOT jump into a pen to hug a polar bear!
Glad you did not end up as a headline on “News of the Weird!”
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:16 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
I have never jumped into a pen to hug any wild animal. My sister was attacked by a goose in a petting zoo though.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:26 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
I had a tumbleweed following me home when I was in college. Would that count as news of the weird?
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:39 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Efren,
You don’t need no stinkin’ tumbleweed to make “News of the Weird!”
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:43 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Joz: And what’s THAT supposed to mean????
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:47 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
(innocent look)
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
John wrote:
Google “taiwanese funerals customs” and the 2nd entry is:
Taiwan Funeral Strippers
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55/054.html - which is an academic discussion.
The Taiwan Chronicles: What to wear to a Taiwanese funeral - 3rd Google result, which has a link to this Time Magazine article:
Grave Stakes
Monday, Jun. 11, 2001
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,129947,00.html
“Suspicions that some of Taiwan’s undertakers are not just second-rate gangsters, but members of the island’s biggest and most notorious triad gangs, surfaced around 15 years ago when funeral companies began selling at wholesale prices the services of exotic dancers from clubs thought to be owned by the mafia. Did grandpa like the nightlife? Then why not hire a truckload of strippers to perform at his funeral? The business got so big that, by some estimates, guests at nearly one-third of funerals were being entertained by naked women. A number of municipalities have since cracked down on the practice, but it remains common in rural areas to see funeral carts hauling flocks of scantily dressed girls from local nightclubs or brothels. Taiwan’s funeral strippers get rave reviews. But Taiwanese complain that most of the services offered by the island’s morticians are downright shoddy. The average price for a memorial service is $12,000, compared with $5,000 in the U.S. ”
I imagine this is another excuse for Taiwanese to spend money to show how well off they are to others while morning the deceased.
John
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 5:21 pm | Permalink
Akrypti wrote:
We’re psychotic gangsters who like to cuddle big wild animals; throw chairs and staplers across the halls of parliament, live piglets at the po-po; and when we die, we request strippers to shimmy at our wake.
I’ll tell you what’s even more insane: China wanting us.
If I were China, I’d be like whoa there psychos you guys are on your OWN.
Posted on 25-Mar-08 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
John,
Those threads are really interesting, although they seem a little old. It sounds like the “stripper at the funeral” thing was much more common in the 80s and then has been less common; except in more rural places.
I still can’t get over it… there were really strippers at your grandfather’s funeral?!?!?!?!
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 12:10 am | Permalink
Xxxtine wrote:
I suppose having a stripper is far more entertaining … and *cough*uplifting*cough* than paying ladies to cry at a funeral. That practise is done in the Philippines.
At least the stripper at the funeral, fights in parliament, throwing livestock at the police, while bizarre, still seem to have some sort of purpose. Frolicking with wildlife does not.
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 6:47 am | Permalink
John wrote:
jozjozjoz,
Like I said, I didn’t go to my grandfather’s funeral in Taiwan, but I did hear there were strippers or exotic dancers there. I can’t see my grandmother or uncle hiring them. Maybe some of the town people. My grandfather was fairly well known in his town since he was the head of the farmer’s union or something like that.
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 9:31 am | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Xxxtine: PAYING ladies to cry at a funeral?
You MUST be Tagalog. We Ilokanos are our own crying ladies, we videotape it, and then we laugh about it! (well, at least my family)…
I don’t think I’d want to see a stripper at a funeral, but that’s just me…
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
How are you supposed to react to a stripper at a funeral?
Do you applaud politely at the end?
Do you bring singles to tip?
I’m so baffled…
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
FATHER’S WISH FOR STRIPPER AT HIS FUNERAL FULFILLED « MRod says: Coolio Iglesias wrote:
[...] Sadly, he passed away at the age of 103 (dying en route to the voting booth), but not for naught as the stripper promise that all boys wish for was granted. His son, Cai Ruigong, told the newspaper that he had paid more than $170 for the stripper to dance [...]
Posted on 26-Mar-08 at 8:10 pm | Permalink
eddy wrote:
I agree with jozjozjoz’s last point. How is one supposed to behave at a funeral where there’s a stripper performing?
Other “logical” questions that come to mind:
- Is the stripper wearing only black (ie. panties, boots, etc)?
- Is there music in the background?
- Is there a makeshift stripper pole involved?
Posted on 27-Mar-08 at 9:17 am | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
Also, was there a karaoke version of “You Shook Me All Night Long” or other pole-dancing favorite playing in the background?
Posted on 27-Mar-08 at 1:37 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
[Ernie, my last two comments didn't show up.]
Posted on 27-Mar-08 at 1:38 pm | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
Hey Grace, didn’t see any other comments in the moderation queue. I think they’re lost.
Can you resend?
Posted on 27-Mar-08 at 4:29 pm | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
I used some HTML formatting tags, so maybe that’s why my comments was filtered out.
Anyway, it was kind of long, so here’s the gist of it: I went to my grandfather’s funeral in Taiwan when I was 4. I was in an earthquake while at a restaurant. My mom said I ignored the earthquake, picked the bowl up, and kept eating my rice porridge while the tables were rattling and people were heading for cover. Ergo, I am insane.
Posted on 27-Mar-08 at 10:49 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Nobody has been able to inform me of proper funeral stripper etiquette yet…
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
well, I think John would probably be the closest one to do that…
As for proper etiquette: I think she (or he) would have to be tastefully dressed in black, down to the black thong (or top for the woman) and I think that at least all the immediate family should have singles. The stripper should probably do interpretive dance to the canned music piping through the speakers, unless of course, the stripper has his (or her) own music specifically for funerals. Somehow “Shook Me All Night Long” just sounds SO appropriate…;)
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:30 pm | Permalink
John wrote:
Efren - like I said, I didn’t go to my grandfather’s funeral in Taiwan. The next time I see my uncle, I’ll try to get a videotape of the funeral and look for strippers / dancers.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Wait a second.
Are there any funeral stripper videos on YouTube?
Believe it or not, I don’t care about the stripper performances. I’m really terribly curious about people’s reactions to these things…
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 3:26 pm | Permalink
John wrote:
So I took a look on YouTube for Taiwan, Strippers and Funerals, and all I could find is, believe it or not is:
Moon Festival Stripper!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns854YVdDVI
The woman doesn’t strip though - she dances, in front of kids… and near a store.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
John,
I can’t believe you found that video!
WTF!?
I loved how all the kids are sitting there and watching it.
To be fair, she wasn’t totally naked, but it was just weird. Everyone was just watching those girls wriggle around wearing next to nothing.
Bizarre.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 5:46 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Whoa, that is weird. Not as weird as seeing a funeral stripper, but having a hot chick in front of those kids must’ve made the stripper feel very uncomfortable.
I really hope she made a lot of money doing that…
Posted on 29-Mar-08 at 10:16 am | Permalink
Grace Chu wrote:
I bet the little kids were like, “What’s the big deal? Can we go play Wii instead of watching this boring-ass dance routine?” Ah, but then a few years from now their hormones will kick in and they will see this dance in a whole different light.
Posted on 29-Mar-08 at 7:26 pm | Permalink
Akrypti wrote:
People need to educate themselves on Taiwanese culture.
An integral part of Taiwanese culture is scantily clad women.
Case in point: bing lang xi shi
(”bing lang” = bitternut, an addictive drug/fruit-thing like chewing tobacco that many Taiwanese men are into; “xi shi” = one of the classic four beauties of Chinese Literature, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Shi)
In Taiwan, you have these stands along the side of the roads with green neon lights - the indication that bing lang is sold there, and you’ll see a glass box where a chic dressed like a prostitute is sitting. she’s the bing lang vendor that we refer to as bing lang xi shi. She sells bing lang and sometimes other…services are included.
Often they’re wearing little more than lacy underwear and stiletto boots. And kids walk and run by all the time. Parents don’t bat an eye when they drive by and their kids in the backseat look out the window and see a row of hot chics showing cleavage and half their butt cheeks.
Posted on 29-Mar-08 at 10:34 pm | Permalink