>>19986274Fair skin was a mark of beauty in China even way back before they had any contact with any "white" people such as the romans or the greeks. There was a term "Jade Beauty" which refers to a person having skin that looks like a type of flawless white jade called muttonfat jade. This was then spread to surrounding countries via millenia of trading and cultural exchange.
The likeliest origin of this obsession with light skin is quite simple. East Asians can range from extremely pale to dark brown depending on how much time they spend in the sun. Light skin was therefore associated with wealth because it was an indicator that someone could afford to not be outdoors working in a farm all day.
At this point, of course, people do not take skin color to be a literal indicator of livelihood but the cultural associations are so deep that dark skin is still associated (unconsciously or otherwise) with poverty and ill fortune
