As I live in the South Eastern Part of China, it gets bloody hot in the summer to say the least. And not like a lovely, dry, Australian-esque outback hot, but more like a constant steam bath, which tends to start in June and finish in October. And I used to complain about long winters in Canada! But having such a hot and sunny climate makes for some interesting cultural observations.

In general, Southern people tend to be darker naturally. Not quite south-east Asia tan, but still darker than their neighbors in the north. Traditionally, white skin is still the go-to beauty standard across the country, as being pale back in the days meant you are more wealthy, and don’t have to work outside. (the funny opposite of Western societies, especially north American, where having a tan means you can take off time from work and actually afford to rush down to the Caribbean to obtain as many burns as possible within the span of a week) Having this white-skin ideal and a burning hot sun in the south poses a big problem: how to stay pale? And the excellent solution has been the umbrella, which is used by anyone under the age of 30 or so. Walking alongside a Chinese friend becomes a fun game of her trying to hide you under the umbrella and you tactfully finding obstacles in the street to prevent her from doing so. Women will also go to some extreme lengths to prevent suntans, such as these nifty bike attachments for your umbrella, wearing a jacket backwards in 36 degree heat (Celsius), and the sensational facekinis, which is one of the reasons I have yet to go to the beaches of Qingdao!