China News Headlines | Hong Kong's premier newspaper online | SCMP.com

"I'm afraid of getting dark," said the mask wearer, Yao Wenhua, 58, upon emerging from the seaweed-choked waters of this seaside city in eastern Shandong province. Eager to show why she sacrificed fashion for function, Yao, a retired bus driver, peeled the nylon over her forehead to reveal a pale, unwrinkled face.

"A woman should always have fair skin," she said proudly. "Otherwise, people will think you're a peasant."