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Thursday, December 21, 2006

Chinese Government Blocks No Clothes Christmas Eve Alcohol Promotion

The Jixiang Ruyi Tobacco and Alcohol Co. had a creative idea to promote environmentally friendly packaging. They wanted to pay 284 people $1,280 in cash and prizes to complete a naked run through the streets of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province. Unfortunately for interested spectators, Chinese police have banned the promotion.

Jixiang Ruyi had already run ads looking for men and women with "healthy bodies" to take part in the Christmas Eve run. The goal was to call attention to excessive packaging being used by some baijiu makers. Baijiu is a grain spirit that is often given as a Chinese New Year gift. Packaging for the gifts can be very elaborate.

The company defended the idea saying it would support the Chinese government's call for a substainable society. The China Central Television network reported that 1,700 people had applied for the run in just four days before the plug was pulled by the government. There was no word how many complied with the "healthy bodies" stipulation in the ads.

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