Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Hong Kong: Naturism Postponed

So my optimism from last month turned out to be premature. Hong Kong’s Body Arts Association met strong local resistance to its bid to open a naturist resort on a remote island. Neighborhood associations and residents do not understand the true nature of naturism, that it is an innocent way of passing the time, close to nature. They rejected the drive for a naturist beach with 80 bungalows, dealing a setback to naturism, but not a final blow. The initiator of the project, Simon Yeung, has said he will continue his attempts to find a spot for East Asia’s first naturist resort. I wish him luck.
Taiwan, meanwhile, had another nude protest last weekend. Again the environment was the catalyst for this kind of action. Assistant Professor Chang Tsu-chien, who was also responsible for the Kyoto Protocol nude protest about a month ago, went for a nude swim in the muddy Chuoshui River, the demarkation line between North and South Taiwan, to protest against a dam project. His institute disapproved of his actions, but respected his academic freedom. As before, the group of nude protesters was limited, but has its “decent” footage featured on the TV stations and in the newspapers.