It wasn’t until the 1920’s that tanning became fashionable in the western world. The 1920’s was the beginning of the first generation in American history were the majority of Americans were becoming familiar with the phrase “leisure time”. This prase is really only three generations old in America.
Prior to the 1920’s and dating back many centuries, a tan meant you were a farmer. If you were a farmer you were uneducated, rough, tough, and not generally not worthy or noble enough for the elite women and men.
While the current living generation in the Western and developed world have long forgotten these times, China is currently pre 1920’s as whole. One of my Chinese friends who’s 28 years old and holds a master of engineering degree told me about a story of a similar situation. He was on a train and was talking to a pretty young lady. I asked him if he got her number and he said no. I asked him why and he said, “Because I’m black”. I said, “Black, your tan!” He said, “No no no no, I’m to dark.”
The world “tan” does not exist in China. You are either white or black. His skin wasn’t white enough because he grew up on a farm. Women in in china do not want a farmer similar to the stereotypes that existed in the U.S and even Europe prior 1920’s and a unique family card system called “hukou”. Most people still look down on farmer in China.. Asking a Chinese person if there are from the countryside is an insult. 你是农村来的吗？
It is quite unfair because these farmers have little choice but to follow the rules and hope that rigorous study and hard work will alleviate them from this social status.
Women in China believe the whiter the better. When china will give up the white for tan is question that is at least 50 years in the making.
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