Man covers himself in 460,000 bees
By Zhang Rui
China.org April 10, 2014
A half-naked man covered himself in nearly 460,000 bees in Chongqing, southwest China, on Wednesday, creating quite the viewing spectacle.
The Chongqing Evening Post reported that the man whose name is She Ping, 34, is a Sichuan Province native. Around 9:00 a.m., he stood along the hillside of Mu'er Town, Yubei District, in Chongqing. Five fellow workers and his wife then went to get the bees from 28 beehives and let them cover his entire body. Each beehive hosts some 20,000 bees.
Yang Dongju, his wife, said he was under great pressure to put on the "show" yesterday and he only got to sleep at 2:00 a.m. They had to wake up soon after to make their way to the designated spot at 5:20 a.m. and make preparations. "With all the bees covering his body, it meant he physically had to bear 56 kilograms of bees by himself," she said.
The man said he had been taught beekeeping techniques by his father from a very young age and he had already worn the "bee dress" three times before. "I first did this at 22, just for fun and out of curiosity. Later on, I would put on the bees just for the sake of making people believe I sell actual real honey; kind of an advertisement for myself. The last time I did this, I put on a total of 15 beehives on my body, but today I'm breaking my own record."
To stage the performance, She got 16 queen bees on his body first and stood in a stainless steel basin. He also didn't wash his body for three consecutive days, put cotton balls inside his ears and nose and wore no cotton clothes as this is according to the true bee nature, he explained. Crowds were standing at a distance of 20 meters, observing the spectacle unfold.
The bees were put on his body layer by layer, with the overall process taking 40 minutes; 45.65 kilograms of bees were eventually covering his body, according to the weight estimates. According to standards set by the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations, 1 kilogram of bees equals some 10,000 bees, so She's bee dress consisted of 456,500 bees.
To put on such "clothing" is one thing, to take off it is another -- and an even more difficult one at that. His wife explained that to wear such "clothing," a man must endure a very uncomfortable sensation on the skin caused by the insects and keep still for more than 40 minutes. After he successfully put on his bee dress, She wore it by keeping still for three more minutes. Then he shook his entire body and tens of thousands of bees flew away. He got out of the basin and ran in the opposite direction of the beehives.
After thoroughly checking his body, he found himself stung by bees in more than 20 spots. "I'm hot, suffocating and nervous," She later said, "My hand is still shaking. 40 minutes of keeping still while the skin itches and hurts. The only thought I had was to challenge and overcome myself. "
Li Dazheng, 51 and a fellow beekeeper, said She's bees are Italian bees, which are more gentle in nature.
Three French camera men were also at the spot to witness the scene. Marc Johnson, one of the photographers, said he saw a report in 2012 about this man, and he thought it was "amazing."
Johnson said the demonstration was quite a surprise, but he had waited for one and a half years to actually witness it. After negotiation with She, the three French men from Johnson's studio came to Chongqing to shoot a short film of the bee-clothed man. "His performance reflects the harmony and coexistence between men and nature, which touched my heart," Johnson concluded.
She Ping is the biggest beekeeper in a local village and has quite the reputation around Chongqing. He and his wife married in 2002 and have two daughters now.
His wife doesn't want him to do the stunts, worrying he will be hurt badly. They usually travel eight to 12 times every year, looking for places bearing the best flowers. "The job is hard, sometimes we will not see our daughters for months," his wife said.
