Thermal underwear has long been part of Chinese society and medicine. But a growing number of style-conscious youth are shedding this layer and freezing for fashion. Liu Zhihua and Erik Nilsson report.

Peking University graduate Wu Qi's friends told him to bring several pair of qiuku, or thermal underwear, when he was preparing to study in Stockholm in 2009.

That's because many Chinese erroneously believe foreigners don't wear thermals in their homelands. That said, a growing number of youth are shedding qiuku - a longstanding cultural institution - preferring to look cool rather than stay warm.