Pajama Party China
Hao! There is a pajama party, and you are invited!
There is a story about it on Reuters - Shanghai: It’s a big pajama party. In accordance with Chinese intellectual property law I have cut and pasted the entire article here for you to enjoy.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - People wearing pajamas in public, still a common sight in Shanghai, is one of the most irritating aspects of life in China’s biggest city, according to an opinion poll of residents.
The survey found that pajama-wearing on the streets and in public places such as shops, banks and parks is among the most uncivilized things in the city, along with aggressive pets, unhelpful neighbors and disregard for the natural environment,
Over 16 percent of respondents said they or family members often donned pajamas in public, and 25 percent reported they sometimes did, Yang Xiong, a professor who helped conduct the poll, said Wednesday.
The survey was sponsored by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the Shanghai Women’s Federation.
Theories differ over why the practice of wearing pajamas — baggy cotton outfits which are often printed with flowers or small animals — is so widespread in China’s richest and most cosmopolitan city.
Some believe residents are showing off their social status by underlining how close to the city center they live, while others say it is a holdover from life many decades ago in small, self-contained communities.
Actually pajamas are quiet common throughout China, and yes, even in Xinjiang it wasn’t that surprising to see older members of society out shopping in their jim-jams. Come to think of it that tradition even still exists in Japan, albeit in a watered down way. If you go to one of the hot spring resorts in Japan in summer you will be able to see people wandering round in their yukata - a light kimono - also worn while sleeping. Of course it looks a little more stylish than pj’s gloriously adorned by Mickley Moose and Minmie the Morse Code monster.
And then there is the urban legend about the foreigner on the JET programme who wore the type of pajamas one wears when one sleeps in the nick down to the local convenience store to pick up a can of coffee. At least the wise people of Shanghai haven’t gone quite that far.
No Comments, Comment or Ping
Reply to “Pajama Party China”