Men who go topless in public may be fined or given a warning as part of a local government crackdown in eastern China on “uncivilized” behavior.
To safeguard the overall impression of the city, a local government has appealed to members of the public to step up efforts to crack down on various forms of “uncivilized” behavior, such as going topless in public places, particularly during the summer.
According to a report on the website Jinan Wenming on July 2, Jinan, the capital of eastern China’s Shandong province, will carry out an intensive campaign of promoting civic virtues by advising citizens not to display uncivilized behavior in public or they would be issued with warnings or fines, the Paper reported.
People should not look disheveled, go topless or take off their shoes in densely crowded areas or on public transport, authorities advised. Any unauthorized access or activities such as swimming, bathing, soaking feet, washing clothes etc at public rivers or fountains would warrant a warning.
Any acts that disturb public order such as jumping queues, fighting, making loud noises, smoking in prohibited places and failing to follow traffic rules, or any acts that upset the public environment such as spitting, littering, vandalizing or allowing pet dogs to foul places would also become offenses.
The Regulation on Promoting Civilized Behavior in Jinan City was formally implemented from March 1.
However, with the “going topless” ban, some supported it, adding that people – particularly old-aged uncles – in the summer who go bare-chested really upset the decency of the city as it is an indecent act, while some argued it was a normal way of getting cool down in summer, and verbal warnings or punishment would not help change such habits in people.
Jinan is not the first city to try to ban the sight of uncles with bare tummies. According to a report by Beiqing Daily, many parts of China have introduced measures to discourage male citizens going topless.
The Tianjin municipal government’s Regulations on Promoting Civilized Behavior in Tianjin came into effect on May 1 this year. Men who go topless in public places and ignore verbal warnings violate the provisions of Article 55 of the Regulations and shall be fined between 50 and 200 yuan (US$7-$30).