A water amusement park in Guangzhou has stirred up a controversy by offering to pay female lifeguards more than three times the regular salary provided they wear a bikini while on duty.

Bikini lifeguards make splash.[ File photo ]

Some people called the initiative "pornographic" while some men said they couldn't wait to be saved by the "bikini lifeguards."

The New Express Daily, a Guangzhou-based newspaper, reported that a water park on August 10 began looking to hire 10 female lifeguards. Besides announcing a package of requirements on professional skills, the park pledged female lifeguards could earn a monthly income of 10,000 yuan (US$1,570) or more if they are willing to wear a bikini on the job.

The average monthly income for a lifeguard in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province, is about 3,000 yuan, according to the newspaper.

In China, most lifeguards are men. The few female lifeguards that exist wear a one-piece bathing suit while on duty.

A water park manager reportedly told the newspaper female lifeguards are scarce so they deserve to be paid more.

"They can swim faster to save drowning people if they wear a light swimming suit," he reportedly said when defending the company's bikini offer. He denied any seedy intention to attract more customers.

However, some parents in Guangzhou were not convinced and insisted they would not take their children to the water park because of its "sick intentions."

Meanwhile, some men joked they would figure out a way to be saved by the bikini lifeguards.

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