When heat waves sweep through Chinese cities and thermometers rise above 35 degrees, many men have adopted a foolproof technique to cool off that requires neither air conditioning nor fans:
They roll their T-shirts up and leave their bellies completely exposed, no matter whether they are in a public square, eating in a restaurant, or walking down the street.
This street tradition, popularly known as the “Beijing Bikini”, is quite common in the Asian country and has become an everyday sight during the months of extreme heat, although in recent years some tourist cities have begun to regulate the practice and ask men to pull their shirts down for the sake of “public image”.
But it seems that, despite attempts to control it, the Beijing Bikini is refusing to disappear and remains one of the most popular strategies for beating the high temperatures.