Plans to open China's first nude beach in the booming eastern province of Zhejiang on August 12 has generated a lot of controversy with opponents saying the move will erode morality, a report said on Saturday.

The inspiration for establishing a nude swimming area struck the management of Linan West Zhejiang Beach Area a few days ago after eight female university students took off their clothes and swam naked.

Though the management was shocked initially, they decided to capitalise on the incident and quickly put up a board saying "nude swimming area."

Even though the sign was removed due to protest by  visitors, it reappeared later.

The customer service department of the beach, located 80 km away from Hangzhou, the provincial capital, has confirmed the nude swimming area would be officially opened to the public on August 12, China Daily reported.

However, this has led to much controversy, and opinions are divided towards this idea.