“Pingfen Style”: a parody on recovered farmland

The authorities of Zhoukou in Henan Province announced the destruction of tens of thousands of graves – referred to in Chinese as “Pingfen” (literally “flatten the steles”) – to recover cultivable lands now scarce around urban centers. But the measure has not been welcomed by residents and the central government has imposed a ban on cemetery destruction without the agreement of the city dwellers. Local authorities, however, have indicated that they will not give up the project.

Young Chinese netizens parodied the Gangnam style song by Korean star Psy, by producing their own “Pingfen Style” –which instantly went viral on Chinese social networks.