Swimming has become a popular sport for both young and old in China as it doesn't require complicated equipment and it is easy to get access to water. Even in winter, it is common to see people plunging into the icy waters of a river or lake. But when some people do so without any clothing, controversy arises.

This winter, in some places in Lanzhou, in northwest China's Gansu Province, such as Zhongshan Bridge and Yazui Beach, people have been spotted swimming in the nude. They don't seem to be bashful about the passersby around them. According to local people, this phenomenon was rare until last summer, when there was an increase in the number of nude swimmers, both male and female. Some citizens found the situation unacceptable and even called the police, local reports said.

Similarly, nude swimmers have been sighted in the more open cities of Hangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing. Nude bathing spots have been opened in several tourist areas in the country.

Attitudes toward nude swimming vary greatly. Opponents hold that it contradicts Chinese cultural traditions, while proponents view it as a way to experience nature more intimately and as an act that encourages individuality and open-mindedness.

Nude swimming can be traced back more than 1,800 years in the country, according to historical records. But is it proper to swim in the nude in public places such as pools in tourist spots, and is this activity suitable in current China?

Unsuitable for Chinese

Zhang Sining (Director of the Social Psychology Institute at the Liaoning Provincial Academy of Social Sciences): Nude swimming doesn't violate the law, but it goes beyond certain boundaries-the line of the human sense of shame. Therefore it hurts others. People can do whatever they want at home. When it comes to public places, however, everyone must obey social ethics. When a passerby unexpectedly runs into some nude people in a park or by a river, it is a visual and psychological shock. Therefore, nude swimming, to some extent, means psychological harm to others.

Wang Huaigu (a senior lawyer in Zhejiang Province): Nude swimming is indecent. To start such a business in public places is unacceptable in terms of the country's basic condition and traditional morality. Besides, there are no regulations permitting such services. For the present, then, offering nude swimming is standing on legally shaky ground.

Wei Ming (a sociologist): It is too soon and impractical to advocate nudity in China. First, we haven't had our own Renaissance, which encouraged emancipation and individuality in Europe. This means we lack a tradition of nudity. In addition, most of China's nude swimmers do not view their action as part of a cultural trend. They are not advocating anything or delivering any message, nor are they seeking intimacy with nature. They are simply looking for novelty or have other ulterior motives. Finally, nude swimming pools that are opened in tourist spots have nothing to do with nudity; their owners just want to make a profit from people's curiosity and fondness for novelty. They claim to seek naturalism but that falls short of reality.

Li Lijuan (a resident in Dalian, Liaoning Province): Though accepted in Europe, nude swimming contradicts China's traditions and moral norms. Naked swimmers enjoy nudity for their own convenience, but they offend the public interest. If they do have the right to be naked, that right should be based on the premise that the public interest is respected. Otherwise, their nudity can be visual pollution. While times change, public moral standards stay almost the same. As a member of society, one has to obey public behavioral norms.

Liao Zusheng (a writer from Foshan City, Guangdong Province): China's nude swimmers use the examples of their foreign counterparts as a shield or an excuse. But every nation has its own moral bottom line, and the same action will arouse different reactions given different cultural backgrounds. One can show his or her individuality, but he or she should also give a thought to what others are feeling. In Shenyang, Liaoning Province, a group of people disrobed just 6 meters away from members of the opposite sex, which was a grave violation of the others' dignity and, to some extent, a disturbance of public order. They should be punished.

Public nudity contradicts human civilization. We are human because we have a sense of shame. Nudity in public creates unpleasantness for others, and sometimes even arouses public indignation. There is a report that a man in Chengdu, who was swimming in the nude in a park, was the victim of a stoning by tourists on the shore. Though the offenders overreacted, it's time for the naked swimmer to have a second thought about his or her behavior. Think about it: If your wife and daughter suddenly ran into a bunch of naked bodies of men, wouldn't they be embarrassed or offended?

Showing individuality

Wu Si (a resident in Chongqing): If someone considers it indecent to swim in the nude, then what about people in some regions in Africa, no matter whether young or old, who go about their daily lives naked? Can you say that's uncivilized, or they should feel ashamed? In another case, naked men are often seen working and living along the Jialingjiang river in Chongqing. Can we say this is immoral or indecent? So, please be tolerant and don't make a fuss about it. Of course, nude swimmers should also give consideration to the circumstances and try to avoid nudity in public places.

Luo Yongming (a professional swimming coach in Shenyang, Liaoning Province): In modern society, people tend to develop a more tolerant and rational attitude toward new social phenomena and diversified values. Nude swimming, as long as it's not banned by the law and doesn't harm the public interest, should be understood and respected by society. The more civilized society is, the more individual freedom its people enjoy. The controversy per se marks the evolution of our society.

Zhang Yali (a resident of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province): A recent report said that people swam in the nude this winter in the Songhuajiang river in Jilin Province, I don't think it's a big deal; on the contrary, it's a symbol of social progress. Everyone was born into this world naked. Nude swimming is beyond all disputes as long as it doesn't affect others.

Wang Dawei (a fan of nude swimming in Lanzhou, Gansu Province): Nude swimming is meant to build up our health. It neither disturbs others' lives nor is it against the law, so it shouldn't be looked upon as moral degeneration. Actually, it not only benefits our health in various ways, but also challenges our minds. Some people can't accept it because they are conservative. With the opening up of China, people are more courageous to demonstrate their individuality, which is obviously a good thing.

Tao Rongwei (from a resort management office in Lanzhou, Gansu Province): So far, there have been no specific regulation about whether nude swimming is legal or not, so we can't rule it an illegal behavior. However, nude swimming doesn't concern the issue of morality at all; it's just a neonatal thing that needs to be understood.

Zhang Kuixing (freelancer): The establishment of nude swimming spots has aroused hot debate, but nude bathing has long been a folk tradition and there are reasons for its existence.

First, the law does not ban setting up nude bathing spots inside tourist sites for the present, so I think so far it's okay to provide such services in those areas.

Second, nude swimming is not a violation of the law. It's all right to bathe in a public bathhouse, so it's okay to swim in a confined public place, such as a bathing site in a tourist spot. Some lawyers think civic activities should obey social ethics, but in China nude bathing is not forbidden by the law, so we can't judge it as legal or illegal.

Finally, some people accuse nude bathing practitioners of making the human body a commercial selling point to make a profit, but why the fuss? Running a tourist site is a commercial activity, and setting up nude bathing spots is also a commercial activity. Both are all right.

Of course, anything relating to nudity is somewhat sensitive, so it should be taken cautiously. But the problem here is not the rationality of setting up the nude bathing spots, but how to manage them properly.