A French ban on the burkini -- a swimsuit that covers the whole body except for the face, hands and feet -- has prompted fierce debate, but women in one part of China are wondering what all the fuss is about.

上月，法國海灘禁止女性穿“布基尼”的消息引發(fā)了激烈爭論。所謂“布基尼”，就是只露出臉和手腳的全身包裹式泳衣。而中國某地的女性卻對此禁令全然不解。

The "facekini" has been popular attire on beaches in eastern China for several years, especially in the city of Qingdao, a seaside city of 9 million.

海灘服飾“臉基尼”已盛行中國東部地區(qū)多年，尤其是在擁有900萬人口的海濱城市青島。

The skin-tight elasticated fabric masks cover a swimmer's entire head and neck. Holes are cut for eyes, nostrils, mouth and, in some cases, pony tails. Most facekinis cover up the rest of the torso as well.

這種面罩能包住游泳者整個頭部和脖頸，布料緊貼肌膚且有彈力。可以露出眼睛、鼻孔和嘴巴，有時甚至為馬尾辮預留了開口。連體“臉基尼”也會裹住身體其他部分。

"I've been using a facekini for nearly ten years," says Wang Huimei, 58, a Qingdao local who goes to the beach almost everyday in summer.

58歲的青島居民王慧梅(音)說：“我穿‘臉基尼’有近十年了。”夏天時，她幾乎每天都去海灘。

"It's way better than sunscreen lotion that wears off whenever I get inside the water. Plus, the water in this area tends to be cold, it's comfortable to wear and it keeps me warm."

“比起遇水就會化開的防曬霜，‘臉基尼’防曬效果好多了。我們這兒的水也挺涼，穿著它舒服又保暖。”

Zhang Shifan says she's the inventor of the facekini and has sold them on Taobao since 2007. She also has a brick-and-mortar store.

張式范女士稱自己是“臉基尼”的發(fā)明者。自2007年起，她就在淘寶網(wǎng)銷售“臉基尼”。她還擁有一家實體店。

The garment was originally designed to protect people from jelly fish bites.

起初，這種泳衣是為了防止海蜇的蟄傷。

"Suntan protection was a secondary feature but now it's the major appeal to my customers," she adds.

張式范補充道：“防曬本是它的第二個特性，但現(xiàn)在成了顧客購買的主因。”

A French ban on the burkini -- a swimsuit that covers the whole body except for the face, hands and feet -- has prompted fierce debate, but women in one part of China are wondering what all the fuss is about.

上月，法國海灘禁止女性穿“布基尼”的消息引發(fā)了激烈爭論。所謂“布基尼”，就是只露出臉和手腳的全身包裹式泳衣。而中國某地的女性卻對此禁令全然不解。

The "facekini" has been popular attire on beaches in eastern China for several years, especially in the city of Qingdao, a seaside city of 9 million.

海灘服飾“臉基尼”已盛行中國東部地區(qū)多年，尤其是在擁有900萬人口的海濱城市青島。

The skin-tight elasticated fabric masks cover a swimmer's entire head and neck. Holes are cut for eyes, nostrils, mouth and, in some cases, pony tails. Most facekinis cover up the rest of the torso as well.

這種面罩能包住游泳者整個頭部和脖頸，布料緊貼肌膚且有彈力。可以露出眼睛、鼻孔和嘴巴，有時甚至為馬尾辮預留了開口。連體“臉基尼”也會裹住身體其他部分。

"I've been using a facekini for nearly ten years," says Wang Huimei, 58, a Qingdao local who goes to the beach almost everyday in summer.

58歲的青島居民王慧梅(音)說：“我穿‘臉基尼’有近十年了。”夏天時，她幾乎每天都去海灘。

"It's way better than sunscreen lotion that wears off whenever I get inside the water. Plus, the water in this area tends to be cold, it's comfortable to wear and it keeps me warm."

“比起遇水就會化開的防曬霜，‘臉基尼’防曬效果好多了。我們這兒的水也挺涼，穿著它舒服又保暖。”

Zhang Shifan says she's the inventor of the facekini and has sold them on Taobao since 2007. She also has a brick-and-mortar store.

張式范女士稱自己是“臉基尼”的發(fā)明者。自2007年起，她就在淘寶網(wǎng)銷售“臉基尼”。她還擁有一家實體店。

The garment was originally designed to protect people from jelly fish bites.

起初，這種泳衣是為了防止海蜇的蟄傷。

"Suntan protection was a secondary feature but now it's the major appeal to my customers," she adds.

張式范補充道：“防曬本是它的第二個特性，但現(xiàn)在成了顧客購買的主因。”