The attention-grabbing tactics of environmental groups like Greenpeace appear to be gaining a foothold in China, with a young woman filmed staging a topless protest in Beijing against deforestation.
Chinese media reported that protesters were opposing ginseng plantations in Jilin province in north-east China, linked to loss of forest. Ginseng is a common ingredient in Chinese herbal medicines.
This is not the first example of such stunts. Chinese climate campaigners in Guangzhou organised a "No Pants subway ride" to promote a low-carbon lifestyle back in 2010, with the event picked up by a TV station.
Animal rights protesters frequently use nudity to raise awareness of campaigns against the use of animal fur. While in Europe and the US, naked bike rides take place every year in support of cycling as an eco-friendly form of transportation.
As environmental protest becomes more common in China (see most recently the Shifang protests in south-west China against a planned copper refinery), it seems some of the same tactics to attract media and public attention are gaining ground. With the topless protest attracting quite a lot of media coverage in China over the past few days, expect more such stunts to follow.
Image credit: Caijing via Beijing Cream
