Beijing Bans ‘Beijing Bikini’ and Other Uncivilised Behaviour to Improve Public Hygiene

By Ammar Haziq  •  27 Apr 2020 in News

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In a bid to improve public hygiene, the popular ‘Beijing bikini’ trend and other “uncivilised” behaviours have been banned by China’s capital. The laws aim to promote “civilised behaviour” to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing already discourages a range of “uncivilised” behaviours including public spitting, littering, walking dogs unleashed, throwing things from high rise buildings, public defecation and smoking in prohibited places, as reported by Hong Kong Free Press.

The latest rules also covered other acts such as coughing and sneezing without covering the mouth and nose. Public spaces are required to set up one-metre distance markers and to provide communal chopsticks and serving spoons for shared meals.

Citizens must also “dress neatly” and not go out shirtless in public, which is an apparent reference to the so-called ‘Beijing bikini’ trend, where men rolled up their shirts exposing their stomachs – or taking their shirt off completely – in hot weather.

The state-run Global Times said there would be a “total ban” of uncivilised behaviours in public places, according to AFP on Sunday.

Rulebreakers will face a maximum fine of 200 yuan (RM122.41) for littering, spitting and defecation in public – which was previously 50 yuan (RM30.60). Those who do not sort out their rubbish properly can be fined up to 200 yuan, and residents responsible for noise pollution and walking their dogs unleashed will be facing a fine up to 500 yuan (RM306.02).

The police are also encouraged to report serious offences, which may affect a person’s social credit score – a highly-criticised, fledging system which aims to assess individual actions across society although there are no specifics provided.

As of now, China has more than 84,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection based on a report from WHO, and a total of 4,642 deaths. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 2.97 million, with a death toll of 207,000.

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