In Kunming, China, you’d better not hum “It’s A Small World,” because you might run afoul of the local police. You see, Kunming is a city founded by and completely inhabited by dwarves. Of the 120 residents, no one over 4 feet, 3 inches tall is allowed. They run the police, fire department, and everything about the city. Of course, those services cost money, and the people of Kunming have found an… unusual way to keep money coming in: they charge admission to their town, turning it into a theme park.
On one hand, this is horribly exploitative. On the other hand, nobody is making the residents of Kunming do anything. If you don’t want to wear a costume, you don’t have to. In a land where jobs are scarce and competition prevalent, this is a really brilliant idea. In the old days, these guys would probably have found work in a freak show or carnival, and this is definitely nicer than that kind of environment, if only because you don’t have to travel all the time like you would on a football team.
If it’s by the little person, for the little person, it’s not really exploitation, right? It’s their choice to live in Kunming, wear costumes, and bilk big people out of money. More power to them, I say!
Tags: Kunming, China, dwarf city, dwarf theme park, all little people, city of little people, no one taller than 4 feet 3 inches, Kingdom of the Dwarfs