Chinese tourism bosses PIN live butterflies to model in bizarre attempt to highlight region's natural beauty

Dozens of live butterflies were pinned to the model's white dress

Tourism chiefs said The Butterfly Fairy 'would delight young and old'



Nanzhao County is a major Chinese Biosphere Reserve and centre for eco-tourism

One horrified onlooker said: 'The entire thing left me speechless'



Chinese tourism officials pinned live butterflies to a model's dress in an effort highlight the wide range of colours on show at a special show dedicated to the insect.



The Bao Tianman Scenic Spot in Nanzhao County in Henan Province is famous for its butterflies.



As a result, local tourism chiefs decided that a butterfly festival would be an appropriate way to encourage tourists to visit the region which is almost 600 miles from Beijing.



Tourist chiefs decided to pin live butterflies to this model's dress to show the region's biodiversity

The 'Butterfly Fairy' (pictured) made an appearance at the festival 'to delight young and old'

Live butterflies were pinned to the model's dress at the end of the festival in Nanshao County, Henan Province

Officials were told that eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the leisure business and decided to try and increase their market share.

The highlight of this weekend's festival was the appearance of the butterfly fairy, complete with several dozen of the live insects pinned to her dress.

Eyewitness Xiu Shih, 37, said: 'The butterflies seem to be still alive, and many were beating the wings obviously trying to fly away from the dress but they couldn't because they had steel pins through their bodies pinning them to the fabric.



'It was really shocking and I saw some children crying and their parents taking them away. This was supposed to be a celebration of the beauty of the butterfly and of the natural beauty of the region. The whole thing just left me speechless.'

The area has been designated one of the Biosphere Reserves by Chinese authorities and is used as an educational centre where youngsters are taught about the environment.



An advertisement before the event said: 'A living butterfly fairy making an appearance that is sure to delight young and old.'

Official spokesman Ning Wang dismissed criticism that the event was cruel. He said: ' We wanted the Festival to encourage people's love of insects and the natural world and to encourage them to protect our fellow creatures instead of catching and killing them so relentlessly.'