China Places Conditions on Britney Tour

SHANGHAI, China (AP) _ China to Britney: Come perform but leave the revealing outfits at home. <br/><br/>Britney Spears' first China tour has received Culture Ministry approval, but officials want

Tuesday, June 1st 2004, 4:47 pm

By: News On 6

SHANGHAI, China (AP) _ China to Britney: Come perform but leave the revealing outfits at home.

Britney Spears' first China tour has received Culture Ministry approval, but officials want to know what she's wearing before she hits the stage, the official China News Service reported Tuesday.

Spears, who's on a world tour to promote her latest album, ``In The Zone,'' will perform five concerts in Shanghai and Beijing sometime next year, CNS said.

Wang Enqiang, an agent for Spears' Chinese promoter, Beijing Poly Culture and Art Co. Ltd., said the pop star planned to come to the mainland in 2004, but he had no information about ministry concerns.

However, the 22-year-old's sexy image has caused concern. Culture officials have asked the concert's Chinese organizers to guarantee she doesn't show too much skin on stage, CNS said.

``Relevant departments will carry out strict reviews of Britney Spears' performance clothing,'' the report said.

It wasn't clear what standards inspectors will use or how they would be enforced. A spokesman for Spears could not be immediately reached.

The head of the Culture Ministry's performance division, Pan Yan, said she hadn't received a performance application and couldn't comment on the report.

CNS quoted a spokesman for the concert's Chinese organizers as saying the ministry's wishes would be respected, but he said Spears' outfits and stage show are the same at each tour stop and it would be ``impossible to make up clothes specially for the China performances.''