Why you don't see Chinese girls wearing Bikini's at the beach? 在中国的海边，你不会看到比基尼女郎

When people think of Summertime, their minds wonder towards blue skies, seasides, beaches and groups of bikini clad girls. So, do you find the topic name to be surprising? That's right, in China, you won't find bikini clad girls!

What you'll find people wearing at Beaches in China are "long" style swimsuits or the full body length swim suits used at races.

These are pictures of me at Hainan's seaside.

人们对夏天的联想，应该会有蓝天大海和沙滩上成群的比基尼美女。
所以看到这个题目很惊讶吗？没错，这样的场景并没有出现在中国。

在中国的海边，比较流行长款泳衣，或是游泳比赛的连体泳衣。

我在海南海边的图片

You might recall in China there are numerous travel reality shows. In one of these shows, the girls were at Dubai and they went to a shopping mall looking for suitable swimwear. They spent a very long time picking which to buy and in the end, they still wore a protective outer-garment which covered up their swimsuits completely.

记得在中国的几档旅游综艺节目，女明星花了很长时间在迪拜商场挑泳衣，最后却在外面套上防晒衣出境，而泳衣完全被遮住。

(Above) Female Stars wearing children style swimsuits
女明星的童装泳衣

(Below) Hottest selling Swimsuits on TaoBao 淘宝热卖款

Below you can see a new creation called the "Facekini" which is becoming a bit of a cult trend. They were created in 2004 in Qingdao Shandong. These facekini's are made with nylon and they can be used to help block UV rays as well as prevent Jellyfish stings. So there are some functional benefits too.

还有当下非常流行的“脸基尼”（FaceKini）
脸基尼发明于2004年青岛，这位女士发明尼龙制成的头套阻挡紫外线照射和海蜇的蜇伤。

These are recent pictures from Qingdao and Hainan's seaside (the kids are obviously terrified)
近日青岛和海南的海边 (当然有一些小孩被吓哭了）

Facekini's aren't just a passing peculiarity either, infact, it has set some trends in the fashion world.
In a previous French issue of Vogue Magazine, the editor - Carine Roitfeld wrote a piece introducing some head wear inspired by the Facekini's from Qingdao.

一时间脸基尼不仅是防晒神器，也是新一代时尚界宠儿。
前法国版Vogue主编卡琳洛菲德在自办杂志最新一辑，以青岛大妈防晒头套为灵感的时尚大片。

The main reasons why Chinese girls don't wear Bikini' :

1. Traditional values - During my visit to Hainan, I had the opportunity to wear my Bikini at the seaside but my friends and family both rejected the notion of me just wearing a bikini. Chinese still dress conservatively. Some people still think that Bikini's are just underwear with thicker or different material, but differ no where else. Wearing a Bikini in public is therefore like wearing underwear in public which to the Chinese is public indecency.
2. Fear of becoming tanned - When vacationing with my friends in Europe, they have a habit of applying sun cream all the time. Up to 20 times a day, and using up to 3 bottles of sun cream. Since the ancient times, Chinese people have favoured white and fair skin. A proverb often used is "One White cover's Three Ugly". At the same time, Asian skin is more susceptible to spots from too much sun exposure. So, these reasons all add up to why Asian girls consider darker skin to be unattractive. Tanned colours are considered attractive to a small minority of people.
3. Psychological Inibitions - Many Chinese girls feel uneasy wearing Bikini's and lack confidence. They often feel that Bikini's have too little material and that they may inadvertently expose themselves.

中国女孩不穿比基尼的原因如下：

1. 传统观念的影响
   在去海南游玩的时候，我曾考虑去海边的时候穿上比基尼，结果周围的亲人朋友都纷纷否定了我的想法。
   中国人穿衣风格保守。有的人认为，比基尼只是布料厚一点，但是外形上和内衣本质上没有差别。所以穿比基尼就像穿内衣，在公共场合不雅观。

2. 害怕晒黑
   我和朋友在欧洲海边游玩的时候，她每天大约花20，有时还会涂两三瓶不同功效的防晒霜。
   中国人自古对白皙的肤色情有独钟，俗话说“一白遮三丑”。同时，亚洲人的皮肤在阳光照射后易形成斑点。所以大部分女生认为，晒黑就会变丑。像古铜色、小麦色等健康肤色只能算是小众的品味。

3. 心理因素
   中国女生们觉得穿比基尼不自在。布料少的可怜，非常容易走光。

In China, Bikini's have been seen in many places other than their place of intended use.

在中国，比基尼没有出现在它应该出现的地方。

Car Expo's / 中国车展

Fashion Models / 模特

Fitness & Bodybuilding competitions / 健身比赛

Taiwanese Betel nut girls / 台湾卖槟榔的女孩