--- description: Photographer Kevin Frayer documents the latest trend in Chinese beachwear: the slightly unsettling facekini, or 'lianjini' in Chinese title: These Aren't Wrestlers, They're Women Wearing Face-kinis image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0ecbc57ddbe27d2/6986a0f7d0b6f2cc14305d56/face-kini-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Aren't Wrestlers, They're Chinese Women Modeling the Latest Beachwear by [Emily Rauhala / Beijing](/author/emily-rauhala/) ## Emily Rauhala / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2014 5:20 AM CUT  Women wear facekinis as they stand in the water on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Women wear facekinis as they stand in the water on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images by [Emily Rauhala / Beijing](/author/emily-rauhala/) ## Emily Rauhala / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2014 5:20 AM CUT When you look at Kevin Frayer’s slightly unsettling images, you ask yourself if masked Mexican wrestlers have invaded the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao. But no. The _lucha libre_ look is just the latest in beachwear, a must-have for women worried about getting too much — or, um, any — sun. And while they may look a little frightening — “other people may worry you plan to rob a bank!” [observed](http://www.weibo.com/2722031203/B6Rem8NR0#%5Frnd1409113534529 "undefined") one netizen — they are the talk of the town, from China’s stodgy [state press](http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014-08/19/c%5F126890071.htm "undefined") to supposedly chic French [fashion magazines](http://shanghaiist.com/2014/08/14/qingdao%5Fwomens%5Ffacekini%5Finspires%5Ffr.php "undefined"). The facekini, or _lianjini_ in Chinese, first made waves in 2012, when a bunch of Chinese women were photographed wearing them in Qingdao. An Aug. 19 [report](http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014-08/19/c%5F126890071.htm "undefined") in Xinhua, China’s state newswire, said 58-year-old resident Zhang Shifan created the look to protect herself from jellyfish and the summer sun. Pale skin is prized in China — so much so that the slang term for an attractive woman is _bai fu mei_, or fair, rich, beautiful — but even Zhang said she was caught off guard by the level of interest. “I’m so surprised that this mask is so popular,” she told Xinhua. That makes all of us, auntie.  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao, China. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  Women wear facekinis as they stand in the water on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she walks into the water to swim on the beach on Aug. 22, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she swims on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she swims on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A girl wears a facekini as she floats in the water on Aug. 21, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman and her daughter wear facekinis while swimming on Aug. 22, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman and her daughter wear facekinis as they leave the water at the beach on Aug. 21, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman adjust her facekini as she talks with others as they stand on the beach on Aug. 21, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini while swimming on Aug. 22, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  Women wear facekinis as they exercise on the beach on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she poses on Aug. 21, 2014, in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer— Images  A woman wearing a facekini sits next to men on the beach on Aug. 20, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images  A woman wears a facekini as she gets wet before swimming on Aug. 22, 2014, on the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3182145/face-kini-facekini-lianjini-china-sun-protection-beach-swimwear/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3182145/face-kini-facekini-lianjini-china-sun-protection-beach-swimwear/"},"headline":"These Aren't Wrestlers, They're Chinese Women Modeling the Latest Beachwear","datePublished":"2014-08-28T05:20:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:52.517Z","description":"Headed for the beach? 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