Why Do Chinese People Like to Use Umbrellas in The Sun?
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SUMMER
The hot summer is here, and as we all known, this year’s summer is extra hot. The heat waves are coming nonstop. Everyone is scared of going out in the sun during the day. The other day I was hanging out with a foreign friend. As we were on the way to the restaurant at noon. the sunlight was burning my skin. I saw people on the street were holding umbrellas so I said I wish I took my umbrella with me. Then my friend looked at me weirdly and said: “I would never use an umbrella for the sun! That’s so weird!”
To be fair, he is not the only foreigner that finds it “weird” that lots of people in Asia use umbrella/parasol for the sun.
Video:
https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=i0715s76nlc
So, why do we use umbrellas in the sun ?
1. Asia is a lot hotter than Western countries in the summer as the sunlight is not so harsh in the West. When the sun is blazing hot, an umbrella can be a great way to create some shade. It allows one to stay cool during the hot summer months, when it seems like just 2 minutes in the sun will make you start sweating.
2. Different beauty standards: pale skin is sought-after amongst Chinese and Korean women. Whilst Westerner widely consider a tanned complexion and warm glow to be attractive, in East Asia, pale skin is seen as beautiful.
3. Skin protection, and protecting your skin from early signs of aging. In order to avoid blemishes, wrinkles, spots and sun burns, sun protection is very important. In Australia, where tanned skin is desirable, skin cancer accounts for 80% of all cancer diagnoses.⁶ In Asia, where pale skin is desirable, skin cancer accounts for only 1-2% of all cancer diagnoses.
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Although holding an umbrella for the sun is firmly embedded in the Asian culture now, you will see that most people who do it are female. This is because a lot of men think it’s not masculine or manly, and some (particularly closed-minded) ‘dudes’ would even describe it as “a thing that only girls and gays would do.”
Do you use an umbrella on sunny days?
Editor: CH
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