Here at Idlewild we love our pyjamas and are very proud of them and would happily wear the all day but we are not the only ones, see below (Telegraph 12th December 2008).
The neighbourhood committee – a volunteer outpost of the Communist Party – in the city's north-eastern district of Rixin has decided that wearing pyjamas in the street should be discouraged.
"We're telling people not to wear pyjamas in the street because it looks very uncivilised," Guo Xilin, a local official, was quoted in local media as saying.
In contrast to their leaders' formal appearance at official functions, China boasts some of the most laid-back dressers in the world.
Partly as a result of living at close quarters in city alleyways, especially since Chairman Mao flooded the rich suburbs with the rural poor, privacy is at a premium and inhibitions are loosened.
In Shanghai, in particular, it is regarded as socially undesirable to make social visits without appointments in summer, in case the family is lounging around in their underwear to keep the heat at bay. But, wearing pyjamas to pop down to the shops or to communal loos hardly raises an eyebrow.
As China has become richer, the practice has only become more common: having a smart pair of pyjamas shows you can afford not to have to sleep in long-johns and string vests.
