Fun in the sun, but still lily-white

A woman uses a huge umbrella on the beach to shield herself from the sun.[Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

It’s summer and everyone’s heading to the beach. But for many Chinese women, the main concern is how to enjoy summer but still keep their porcelain complexions perfect. They share skincare secrets with Zhou Wenting.

Chinese women think being fair-skinned is the epitome of beauty, and they go to great lengths and great expense to keep their skin lily-white. With summer coming along, there are defi nitely mixed feelings about a day at the beach. While most want to enjoy a pleasant summer day with blue sky, sand and sea, it is their fi rm belief that a fair complexion can make up for a multitude of faults.

On the beach, you may see ladies armed with sunglasses, broad-rimmed hats, huge umbrellas, large towels and even longsleeved coveralls. And, thick layers of ultra-SPF sunblock.

“My favorite seaside activity is burying my body in the sand. I don’t want to bask under the full sun and get too tanned. Even exposing my feet makes me worried,” says Zhou Wenshu, 27.

“I have secret recipes of homemade masks for facials and water with lemon slices to keep my skin tone light. How can I go to the seaside and then have the result of all my efforts wasted in hours?” So Zhou takes measures to keep her skin fair. 

She says she bought a bikini while in California for her studies, but when she finally went snorkeling, she decided to put on a diving suit over her bikini.

“After smearing sun block all over my body, I still didn’t feel sure that I wouldn’t get too tanned. I knew it was awkward on a Californian beach, but my unwillingness to become sun-burnt conquered my self-consciousness,” she says.

Wu Shanshan says she only goes to the beach in the early morning or at dusk, and only after she applies a thick layer of sunscreen. Even then, she wraps herself in a large towel on the beach and wears a hat with a wide brim.