Chinese nudist resort prevented from opening

An ambitious attempt to open a nudist resort near the eastern city of Hangzhou has caused a re-examination of China's Confucian values. The resort, a complex of two separate swimming pools for male and female naturists, was due to open in Lin'an county last Saturday.

Its developer, Xu Fake, said he had won initial approval from liberal-minded tourism officials and spent 500,000 yuan (£44,000) to turn two large natural pools into a haven for naturists, shielded by thick bamboo groves and patrolled by security guards.

However, when news of the resort reached senior Communist Party cadres, a ban was swiftly issued. "I got a call the day before we were due to open, saying the municipal government officials regarded the pools as improper and demanding that I shut them," said Mr Xu.



"Several hundred tourists had already signed up to come to our opening, and they were very unhappy," he added.

Although there is no law in China forbidding naked swimming, it is widely frowned upon as contrary to Confucian values, which emphasise a sense of propriety and shame.

The Qilu Evening News, a newspaper in Shandong province, condemned the project in an editorial. "A naked pool is totally unacceptable in Chinese tradition and social customs. China need not to be in line with international practice in this regard," it said.