Nude Arts Model in Taiwan

Who thought it could be possible? A nude arts model in Taiwan, children happy to make drawings of her, and above all: fair media reporting without the sensation, the titillation, and the remarks that it could harm children.
The model in question is no stranger to the cause of non-sexual nudity in Taiwan: Juan Jen-chu is a 50-something woman who sells food at a stall in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second-largest city. In her own time, she stages performance art, an activity which got her noted before because she performed in the nude at an arts center. She also turned up in my blog earlier this year because it was she who suggested the launch of a "naturist passport" as the start of a campaign to win the legalization of naturism in the country.
Her modeling took place at a university in Kaohsiung over the weekend, but the target audience was not the campus, but a wide variety of people interested in painting and drawing. Juan stood naked next to a plaster version of her own nude self while the public drew and painted her, and media camera teams swarmed all over the place.
Some of the artists were children, and they gave, by Taiwanese standards, the most mature comments: they said they were used to seeing "granny" in the nude because they had already participated in earlier classes, and they thought nothing wrong of her nudity.
The comments and the treatment of the modeling by the media was refreshing for a country where naturism is still banned, where there is no topless bathing, and where even bikinis get attention on nationwide TV as if they're something revolutionary.
Juan's action and the public's reaction are a positive step for the recognition of non-sexual nudity and the accepting of the human body as it is, with all its flaws and shortcomings. While Juan posed as a model for this artistic event, she is no 'model' in the sense of a supermodel, she has the normal body you would expect for a Taiwanese 50-year-old shopkeeper. I'm sure we will hear from Juan Jen-chu again soon.

Taiwan's Glory in Sydney

Only yesterday, I wrote about the latest Spencer Tunick mass nude event in Sydney, hoping the same thing would be possible in Asia.
Just one day later, the omnipresent Taiwanese media found out that among the 5,200-strong crowd, there was one Taiwanese present.
In the front row in Sydney was a male Ph.D. student from the southern city of Kaohsiung, Lo Ching-yao. Not only did TV station TVBS identify him, it also tracked him down for a short interview.
Lo said the event was unique and a once-in-a-lifetime experience he just had to go for. At first, he was nervous, but as he saw the Australians around him take off their clothes without any hesitation, he already felt more comfortable. Lo said his sister approved of his decision to participate.
Even more interesting, Lo uttered the suggestion that the same kind of event could be staged in Taiwan itself. A proposal we fully support.
Lo's appearance in Sydney earned him the nickname of "Taiwan's Glory" or "Taiwan zhi Guang," an appellation used for all Taiwanese who become famous overseas, particularly in sports, but also a pun, since the Chinese word "guang" can also mean "naked."

Topless in Taiwan (2): The World Games

Here we go again. The same city - Kaohsiung - the same beach, the same phenomenon. Topless foreign women.
But now there's a new element to the game. The 8th edition of the World Games started in the southern Taiwanese city last Thursday, so whatever happens around it receives immediate attention.
The truth this time: three young Brazilian ladies, apparently members of that country's beach volleyball team at the games, enjoyed the beach and the sun so much, they took their tops off to sunbathe. TV footage only revealed one of them sitting upright, two lying face down.
But that was enough to get the whole media mob and the local police into high gear.
The police convinced the ladies to put on their tops, while the media reports had the required shocked locals exclaiming how topless sunbathing did not fit in with local culture, and how some local children might have seen it. For extra ammunition, they also found a Russian couple saying there were no topless sunbathers in Moscow. Probably right, since Moscow isn't exactly a prime beach destination. A young woman said the foreigners should respect local habits.
A man with the Brazilian team said it was the ladies' first day in Taiwan, and they were so happy at seeing the sun and the beach that they didn't realize things were different here.
Too bad they are, but then anyone wearing a bikini in Taiwan is still labeled a 'hot chick' in the media, and topless is completely unheard of. Even by the many Taiwanese who have traveled overseas apparently, since there is not a vibrant beach-going habit, so overseas the Taiwanese will mainly stick to shopping malls and historic monuments.
Too bad. I would've hoped that for once, the police and the other curious citizens would have looked the other way, and considered the topless bathing what it was - a symbol of internationalization during the event during which, according to local propagandists, 'the whole world will be watching Taiwan.'

Topless in Taiwan 36.7 degrees

Two young European women sunbathed topless on a beach in Taiwan.
How do I know? Because Taiwan has numerous 24-hour TV news stations, and in Taiwan, a topless woman on a beach still counts as news.
The duo was spotted on a beach popular with surfers in the Chichin district of Kaohsiung, the country's second largest city, in the south. Of course, some people had their camera phones out and recorded the 'news,' which then was broadcast with the two young ladies covered up by a 'mosaic.' To be fair, so were their faces, so they will not be hassled during the rest of their stay.
The local surfers did not seem surprised or shocked, taking it all in good stride. One member of the public interviewed on television said the topless sunbathing 'did not fit in with local people's customs.' Fair enough, but in the meantime, television news broadcasts go on and on about all the 'spice girls' at one of Taiwan's biggest rock festivals, Ho Hai Yen this weekend on the island's northern coast. No topless bathing there, just a lot of bikinis, which in Taiwan still counts as 'spicy.' Some 20 years ago, you could go to a major beach resort and still see young women wade into the sea wearing long, flowery dresses, so at least, there is some progress.
The reaction of the authorities to the topless 'incident?' Send in more guards walking along the beach to prevent more such incidents from happening.
And all this while temperatures are reaching record levels for the year, 36.9 degrees centigrade on Friday and 36.7 on Saturday. Can you really blame anyone for wanting to go topless?