gumtree

A friend told me that bare legs & bare feet with sandals is a no-no (?) Please tell me this isn't true! We will be in HKG one week and Beijing 4 days, departing late this August. We are in our 40's & 50's and have capris, wrap skirts, sleeveless tops (nothing too revealing/no cami's), and of course, sandals. We live in Florida and dress appropriately for the weather - hoping to wear the same types of clothes in China. For the lone man in our group, is it ok for him to wear shorts & Teva's during the day?

laurieco

Your clothes should be fine for most activities but for visiting temples or anyplace that would require a little more "respect", make sure your shoulders are covered. Skirts and capris are fine. When visiting temples, I would make sure I'm wearing clothes that at least cover my knees. For the man, long shorts are okay but he may want pants for temples. When I visit these places, I always ask myself, what would be appropriate for a church or synogogue in my own country and dress the same for temples in Asia. It's a matter of being respectful.

Neil_Oz

Except for formal occasions the Chinese are pretty laid back about clothing. I have no idea what a "Teva" is, but I guess your male could get away with wearing shorts ... if he must. There are no fashion police, so nobody's going to arrest him for a taste crime. But why can't he wear light long pants, cargo pants or similar, which he'll need when visiting temples anyway? That goes for you all, of course - ensure that you're polite guests in your host country by dressing modestly and respectfully in such places and you'll be OK. (Incidentally, "temple rules" might apply if you're visiting Chairman Mao's mausoleum in Beijing - I'm not sure, as we didn't make it, but I do know that this is definitely the case at Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi.)

Late thought: your feet will get very dirty in sandals, and as Beijing is a good city for walking you might consider something more substantial.

Patty

Neil,
Teva is a particular brand of sport sandal, but sometimes the name is used to refer to any similar type of sport sandal which aren't necessarily Teva branded.

gumtree,
Short and sandals will be fine for most places. You'll see lots of other tourists as well as some local Chinese wearing the same in August.

gumtree

Thanks, everyone!

rkkwan

As I've said many times on this board, I wear shorts and sandals all the time here in the US, but never in Hong Kong.

For the following reasons:

- It's a crowded city with little personal space. I just don't feel comfortable with shorts and sandals.

- You may get your feet wet walking through markets, and stepped on in MTR trains during rush hours. I feel more protection is needed.

- Air-conditioning can be strong at many malls and restaurants.

- Sun and mosquitoes if you go hiking.

Local Hong Kong people don't wear shorts and sandals (at least for the men). They may have other reasons, but mine still applies.

I won't worry about temples and monateries, however. No particular dress codes for them.