Why do the Chinese like to walk around with their bellies bare? – Russia today Posting in CHAT: Russia Anyone in a Chinese city on a hot day is sure to encounter one of these men - mostly middle-aged, wearing a shirt pulled up to their chests to show off their fat bellies. This “refreshing” technique has become so widespread that it even received the official name – “Beijing bikini”. These words begin a rather large article published last summer on the pages of the French publication Le Monde. And, it must be said, journalists from France were far from the only ones who paid attention to another Chinese trend, although the entire progressive world has long been accustomed to oddities on the part of Asians, which are usually reflected in their appearance (after all, in general, many people love modern Chinese culture!) and even often adopt some particularly original techniques; At the same time, the "Beijing bikini" was criticized both by foreign observers and by Chinese authorities, who considered this trend not only inappropriate, but also very unsightly. Well, I think it's time to learn a little more about this phenomenon... So, first, let's find out what a "Beijing bikini" is. At some point, this ironic term began to be used to describe the practice of middle-aged Chinese men in hot weather and, of course, in public places, tucking their T-shirt or tank top over their chests, exposing them. their belly is as big as possible. This method supposedly allows them to cool their bodies more effectively, which means they can more easily endure the summer heat. It is curious that this practice is widespread, as I said above, exclusively among middle-aged men (young people do not yet take it into account; attractive ones), who also have prominent bellies. Apparently, the larger the abdomen, the more effective cooling it requires! It is difficult to say exactly when this phenomenon appeared in China, but researchers of Chinese culture are already voicing several versions. According to the first, the practice of exposing the abdomen is directly related to ancient Chinese beliefs, which are adhered to by the adult population of the Middle Kingdom. Thus, in traditional Chinese medicine, the stomach is the reservoir of warm Qi energy that circulates around the internal organs. During the summer heat, when the temperature of both the body and the environment increases significantly, a person needs to remove heat more efficiently. energy or, philosophically speaking, to throw out excess negativity. By exposing the stomach or, excuse me, the container, a person throws negative energy out and receives a new charge of health and positive emotions. There is also a more down-to-earth option, which, in fact, echoes the previous one. one, but sounds more plausible. The "Beijing bikini" originated from working Chinese who decided that this way of wearing shirts and shirts would help them cool down both during and after a hard day at work. In fact, the trend quickly became popular. not only among the working class, but among all representatives of the male population of China. Moreover, despite the name, not only in Beijing, but also in other cities - Jinan, Tianjin, Shenyang, etc. In fact, the reason for the appearance and wide spread of the “Beijing bikini” is not so important. Another thing is that this phenomenon literally “split” traditional Chinese society into two camps. Some, including city authorities, consider such behavior unacceptable because it is “uncivilized”, “unaesthetic” and causes serious damage to the appearance and image of the city in general or the province in particular. Others, on the contrary, do not agree with the condemnation of the “Beijing bikini”, believing that, firstly, it is part of Chinese culture, which the Western world should accept and respect, and secondly, this phenomenon is not such a serious problem that it requires intervention states. And, nevertheless, some steps were taken by external local governments. For example, in Tianjin, rules were introduced according to which a very specific fine of 200 yuan (about 28 US dollars) was imposed on a citizen for appearing shirtless in a public place. Authorities of Jinan, in Shandong Province Thanks to the support of the media and public organizations, local residents informed local residents that if they do not dress appropriately in public places, parks, squares, business districts and other densely populated areas, they will face financial penalties. According to the Jinan government, even partial nudity (or in this case, lifting shirts and T-shirts) in public places will be considered a crime. Local officials in the city of Handan, Hebei province, decided to get more creative. approach to solving the problem and launched a TV commercial calling on older men to abandon the practice of the “Beijing bikini.” In the video, a young girl introduces her father to a young man who is walking in a public park shirtless. “Is this really your father? He is so uncultured and so disrespectful to others!” – the potential son-in-law is indignant. At the end of the video, the father agrees to put on a T-shirt and wear it as expected. Well, in Beijing they didn’t bother too much and simply published photographs of men in “Beijing bikinis” in the hope of at least a little shaming them in this way. Moreover, Chinese youth supported this initiative because middle-aged and older men, or as they are called on social networks, “numa no numa grandpas,” evoke negativity and disgust in them. Moreover, in a subsequent survey, young Chinese citizens named the “Beijing bikini” as one of the most annoying anti-social customs. In fact, the “Beijing bikini” has long become a truly “world bikini” because there were its followers. in all corners of the globe, and Russia, of course, is no exception. The logic of the behavior of people exposing themselves in public and in places not intended for this purpose is not completely clear to me personally. Maybe the whole point is a lack of education, or, most likely, banal egoism: it’s good for them, otherwise it’s not. what matters is how it looks from the outside and what others think. Moreover, they give little thought to how unpleasant they appear to others or to the possibility that people might find their actions offensive. Source link Source link
