A nudity ban imposed by the Chinese government seemed to have been defied after several men were seen posing nude on a beach in southern China over the weekend, authorities said.

The naked males enjoyed the heat of the sun on a beach in Dadonghai during the holiday weekend. The beach, which stretches 1.4 mile, is dubbed as a premier destination for nudist bathers in China.

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A report from the Shanghai Daily said that some men had their underpants stripped down. The media outlet also said that female visitors felt awkward to approach the beach due to the scene. Sources said there were no authorities going around the beach last weekend.

Dadonghai beach in Sanya has been known to be the Chinese version of Hawaii. Nudity, however, was banned in Dadonghai as residents started protesting at what they described as outward obscenity.

According to Sanya Communist Party head Luo Baoming, bathing nude in beaches is against the culture and tradition of the Chinese people. Baoming also referred to the act as uncivilized, adding that normal people won't strip and bathe in a beach.

The ban was issued last February but has not left all Chinese people happy. Some of them having skin problems including psoriasis said that bathing nude can help get the treatment they needed, said a report from South China Morning Post.

Despite the current ban, nudists continued to flock to the beach on Saturday. Images of men lying down on towels while smoking cigarettes were shown in multiple Chinese websites.

The state media said that two people were detained after refusing to get dressed. Cameras were also installed to get evidence of people displaying their buttocks while bathing on the beach.

China Daily also expressed its view on nudists in the country's beaches in a recent article. The paper said that the concept of nudity has not been accepted throughout China.

Heilongjian, Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces had tried to make their own version of nudist communities on beaches. However, the effort was not pushed through after great controversy has confronted the move.

TagsSanya, nude bathing, beach nudists, Dadonghai beach