A "Miss Bikini" competition in the style of the traditional Peking Opera has sparked a public debate in China after photos were made public this week.

"We are only adding small elements of the opera, and we are just adding Chinese traditional cultural elements in order to attract a wider audience," said Li Jinkun, who organises the contests.

However, not everybody agreed with his approach, with the China Youth Daily writing: "To rejuvenate traditional arts is a serious matter. Any innovation must respect the art in the first place but not distort it or change it beyond recognition."

"I think the form and content is not very relevant to promoting opera," said Zou Yiqin, adding: "I'm really not sure how much the young people can understand the culture by this performance."

Others feel it is important to make it relevant for the younger generation, with Tana, a 26 year-old working in advertising saying: "Many young people think the traditional stuff is out of date. Adding more fashionable elements in it will make it more popular."