30 amazing images of a century-old Chinese sauna

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Chinese bath culture – The old culture of public bathhouse and saunas is threatened by modernization.

One of the oldest saunas in Beijing, 双兴堂, “Shuangxing Tang”, a century-old bathhouse located in Nanyuan, founded by labourer Wang Shuankui, in 1916.

The bathhouse, which occupies two floors, has dozens of regulars, aged 50 to 82, who visit every day.

Nanyuan had been the location of a military barracks during the Qing dynasty. After a period in which the bathhouse was nationalised by the communist government, it was taken over by Xiong Zhizhong in 2003.

The bathhouse was also the set of Zhang Yang‘s movie, Shower.

Photo: Wang Zi

Old Chinese sauna images

old Chinese sauna
Beijing’s last traditional public bathhouse still thrives through the help of strong support from diehard patrons. 
old Chinese sauna
“It is a place for poor people like me where for 8 yuan I can have fun the whole day,” Zhang said, “It’s not only the last bathhouse in the capital, but also a kind of local culture.”
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
“Only 10 percent of our customers are from the neighborhood, the majority come from downtown nearly 2 hours away,” said Shuangxing Tang bathhouse owner Xiong Zhizhong
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
old Chinese sauna
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Topics: Chinese bathing habits,bathing in China,China bathhouse culture

 

 

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