The shape of things to come

Chinese women are becoming fuller of figure thanks to a combination of social, physical and dietary changes that are overturning 'traditional' notions of national body types and may prompt a revolution in the lingerie industry. Yang Wanli reports.

There is a long-established stereotype of Asian, especially Chinese, women. They are seen as caring, polite and gentle, usually heavily family oriented, soft-spoken and with a gentle demeanor that conveys great charm. Physically, they are usually described as fragile, dainty and slender with small breasts, a notion underlined by a map widely circulated by Google in 2012 that showed the average cup size for bras was A.

A quarter of a century ago, Wu Xiaoyu would have been the exception that proved the rule in China. Her breasts didn't stop growing until she was 22, by which time her bra size was 36D, far larger than those of any of her friends or former classmates.