A miniskirt-discount campaign at a Guilin theme park generates long lines and public criticism
Guilin Merryland Theme Park (桂林乐满地主题乐园), 62 kilometers northeast of Guilin city in southern China, has launched a summer campaign that encourages female visitors to “showcase feminine beauty.”Dubbed “Love Miniskirt” (夏日乐爱短裙), the two-month campaign entitles female visitors to a half-price park admission if they sport skirts shorter than 38 centimeters.
Female staff from the park will measure the skirts of those who wish to take advantage of the offer. All applicants must be 18 years old.The 600,000-square-meter park charges RMB 110 (US$17.3) for a normal day ticket.The special price for women who dare to bare is RMB 55, the same admission price for Chinese soldiers, disabled visitors, senior citizens and children under 1.4 meters.
On July 21 and 22, the park will offer a further discount from RMB 55 to RMB 10 for female visitors arriving before noon.According to a park banner, those are the days on which the park is aiming to “break the world record of attracting more than 10,000 short-skirted women to the park.”
“The stipulation aims to encourage female visitors to showcase their beauty in summer,” according to park deputy manager Li Wenxing (李文兴), as reported in Shanghai Daily.
Li also said that the campaign isn’t new — the “miniskirt promotion” was first launched in 2007.
“We have been hearing negative comments about the campaign since we launched it, but the number [of complaints] is decreasing every year,” Li added.The female-only promotion is timed to coincide with the park’s “water-splashing festival” in July and August.
Li said that during the festival visitors can throw water on each other, including, of course, on miniskirted women.The campaign seems to be successful. Chinese media have reported on women lining up outside the park to have their skirts measured.
Many Chinese, however, believe the campaign promotes a vulgar culture.”If women can enjoy discounts for showing [their bodies], then can they enter the park for free by going totally naked?” asked netizen Song Xiangping on a blog called gmw.cn (simplified Chinese only).Source: CNNGo
