Open-crotch pants | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 開襠褲 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 开裆裤 | ||||||||||
Literal meaning | Open-crotch pants | ||||||||||
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Open-crotch pants (simplified Chinese: 开裆裤; traditional Chinese: 開襠褲; pinyin: kāidāngkù), also known as open-crotch trousers or split pants, are worn by toddlers throughout mainland China.[1] Often made of thick fabric, they are designed with either an unsewn seam over the buttocks and crotch or a hole over the central buttocks. Both allow children to urinate and defecate without the pants being lowered. The child simply squats, or is held by the parent, eliminating the need for diapers. The sight of the partially exposed buttocks of kaidangku-clad children in public places frequently astonishes foreign visitors, who often photograph them.[2][3] They have been described as being "as much a sign of China as Chairman Mao's portrait looming over Tiananmen Square."[4]
In China they are often seen as a relic of the country's rural past, with younger mothers, particularly in cities, preferring to diaper their children instead. However, Western advocates of the elimination communication method of toilet training have pointed to the advantages of their use, specifically that children complete their toilet training more quickly and at an earlier age. Other benefits claimed include the elimination of diaper rash and reduction of the environmental problems caused by disposable diapers.
We came across one little boy at the Summer Palace in Beijing who apparently had no need of any toilets. His pants were made with a perfectly open crotch, allowing him to be the natural creature God created, anytime, anywhere. The only thing cuter than this little guy innocently mooning everyone was the dozen or so giggling choir members running after him with their camera poised for a good shot.