Nude in Taiwan

[asianaturist]

Nude news from Taiwan ...
A small step for nudity but a huge step for Taiwan.

No doubt inspired by recent nude anti-war protests in the West, a handful of locals tried to protest nude in favor of environmental protection in Taiwan today.
About a dozen of men and women showed up at a pond in the town of Chunan in Taiwan's Miaoli County today to protest in favor of keeping the pond there and protecting it from pollution.
Because of strict "public decency" laws in Taiwan however, the locals dropped plans to have their protests all nude, instead stripping down to their underwear. At least two women went topless, a sight unheard of in public in Taiwan.
TV stations showed the protest, though with the "strategic parts" made unclear. One of Taiwan's two main evening papers did have an unaltered picture of the protest on its frontpage.

One can only hope that this protest - as well as the high temperatures registered this week - will give the naturist movement the acceptability it deserves.

[asianaturist]

Nude news from Taiwan ...
A small step for nudity but a huge step for Taiwan.

No doubt inspired by recent nude anti-war protests in the West, a handful of locals tried to protest nude in favor of environmental protection in Taiwan today.
About a dozen of men and women showed up at a pond in the town of Chunan in Taiwan's Miaoli County today to protest in favor of keeping the pond there and protecting it from pollution.
Because of strict "public decency" laws in Taiwan however, the locals dropped plans to have their protests all nude, instead stripping down to their underwear. At least two women went topless, a sight unheard of in public in Taiwan.
TV stations showed the protest, though with the "strategic parts" made unclear. One of Taiwan's two main evening papers did have an unaltered picture of the protest on its frontpage.

One can only hope that this protest - as well as the high temperatures registered this week - will give the naturist movement the acceptability it deserves.

[Trailscout]

I like the idea of linking naturists with a desire to preserve nature.

I had some concerns that anti-war protesters had a monopoly on nude protest, when there were pro-war nudists but no pro-war nude protests.

In my country both major political parties have nudists among their membership. That is good!

I also hope that Taiwanese can come to think of the nude body as being decent and not something you do for shock value when you are angry about something.

In the USA, the counterculture movement was about a lot of things, one of which was a desire to return to a more natural way of living, including being naturally nude when the mood strikes you. For someone who has overcome his body shame, skinnydipping with your friends and family at the beach is a good first step, provided the beach is somewhat secluded. There was government opposition, but the skinnydippers fought back in the courts in huge numbers and in some places won nude status for the beach or at least toleration of nudity. Perhaps Taiwan can move in that direction, but you must change attitudes first and in sufficient numbers that government will be forced to make space for you. The fact that there is a sizeable number of environmental activists suggests that social nudity has a future in Taiwan because it heathy attitudes about the body are so very compatible with a heightened environmental consciousness and people who believe in freedom of expression.

[asianaturist]

Yes, Taiwan is moving in the right direction, though it will probably still take years before the laws are changed and nudism/naturism gains some form of acceptability.
Meanwhile, most public reaction to the first semi-nude protest seems to have been positive, and the local authorities are also taking measures.
For a local news report, you can go to one of Taiwan's English-language newspapers, The China Post:
The China Post (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?ID=39624&GRP=B)