Seven Castles

Nude Beach

                                      

July 14, 2008

 

We were all born naked; society clothed us.

 

Europeans are very comfortable with nude or topless sunbathing and swimming. Nude beaches there are wonderfully liberating. Nobody is staring or doing anything sexual.

 

The nude bathing area would be a groundbreaking concept since Chinese beach resorts do not provide a place for nude swimming and sunbathing. Traditionally, most Chinese have a severe aversion to the sun, taking every opportunity to cover up. Chinese people are so conservative that many people oppose to swim in public. In their opinions, those who swim nakedly in public must have some mental problems.

 

Recently, great debate rages on the Chinese Internet about the appearance of a nude beach in Sanya of Hainan Province and whether it should be acceptable or not. According to an article from the Hainan News Network, that part of the Dadonghai Scenic Area, where the visitors like to strip completely, sees as many as 400-500 male and female nudists during peak time (7-11 a.m.). This phenomenon has attracted many people's attention. While some local men seem pretty happy to join the crowd in their birthday suits, the females spotted on the beach are all foreigners. As with previous attempts to create nudist spots in Heilongjiang, Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces, the Sanya beach has sparked a huge public outcry, but the local tourism officials are neither clamping down on the beach nor actively promoting it as a destination.

 

While the Sanya beach evolved over the last two years because strip-happy tourists were flocking to this spot, the last nude beach that received widespread attention in the Chinese media was actually an invention of forward-thinking Hangzhou tourism officials. The authorities quickly shut down the nude beach (some 80 kilometers away from the provincial capital) after a huge controversy broke out.

 

Sanya would hardly become a destination for nudists, be they Chinese or European. The beach has sparked a lot of controversy. While supporters said nude swimming helped humans stay in touch with nature, opponents argued the move would erode community morals. They believe that nude sunbathing and swimming is entirely out of line if done by a foreigner because it is the way they do it. Travelers should be respectful of other cultures.

 

It seems to me that Chinese people are not cultured enough to know how to control their passion when they see each other naked. The fact that China might have nude beaches came as a surprise to me, and even more that this time it was not the foreigners who were enjoying the suns rays up close and personal, but the Chinese themselves. I do not think this "spectacular scenery" will still exist next year. Some people are strongly against those guys who swim nakedly there and hope the government could stop them. If the government accepts their advice, there will be no nude swimmers.

 

However, in recent years Chinese women have taken a liking to the bikini, finally dethroning the full body swimsuit. If you compare ladies' dressing style in most Chinese cities today with that of 30 years ago, it is clear that most young ladies are much more exposed today. Some even wear spaghetti-strap tops to offices. Yet, I am behind the times, as it was said that in some places in China, both men and women could swim or bathe together in SPA centers, saunas or other fun clubs.  

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2008年07月14日 星期一 05:21】【注册】【打印】