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Chinese dwarves say ‘little people’ theme park allows them equality and respect

Fantasy world peopled by dwarves has drawn criticism but performers say they are happy to be with their peers

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Dwarves perform at the Kingdom of the Little People theme park. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A commercial theme park in southwestern China that has been criticised for discrimination for featuring dwarves as performers is seen as a shelter by its workers.

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The Kingdom of the Little People in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, was established by a Sichuan businessman in 2009, and drew controversy over its shows being performed only by dwarves, chinanews.com reported.

The more than 100 performers, who are each less than 130 cm tall, dance and sing on stage, portraying a “fantasy world”.

A performer stands on a cinder block to make cooking easier. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A performer stands on a cinder block to make cooking easier. Photo: SCMP Pictures

When not performing, they live in dormitories with child-sized furniture but otherwise lead normal lives.

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The park receives employment applications from around the nation and the performers said they were satisfied with the equality and respect provided by their work, the report said.

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