Kindergarten principal in China welcomes students back to school with pole dancing

A kindergarten principal in southeastern China has been axed after it was arranged for a pole dancer to welcome students back to school on Monday.

Stunned children, parents and other onlookers in Shenzhen watched as the scantily-clad performer marked the special occasion with an eye-popping performance.

"The principal hung up on my wife when she called after saying it was 'international and good exercise' ... okay, yeah for adults maybe, but not 3-6 year old kids," tweeted parent Michael Standaert, a China-based journalist from the U.S.

Xinshahui Kindergarten principal Lai Rong apologized for the "horrific viewing experience," according to CBS News, and was fired.

"Other schools in the district should reflect on this incident and strictly uphold education standards," the Bao'an education bureau said in a statement, according to CBS.

Lai said there were about 500 young children at the ceremony, according to the Global Times. Standaert said he intends to look into other school options for his kids.

"Who would think this is a good idea?" he tweeted Monday. "We're trying to pull the kids out of the school and get our tuition back. They wouldn't give us the number of the company that owns the school, but looking into that."

"Is the principal an idiot?" someone wrote on the social media site Weibo, according to CBS News.

Lai told the Global Times that while some parents asked for money back, others wanted to "learn a new type of dance."