June 9, 2009: Things To Know About China (Part Two)–Will

William — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:04:16 +0000

According to a senior government official I interviewed, attitudes toward condoms have changed drastically in China since 2003. In the past, possession of condoms could be used by the police as evidence that the person was a sex worker. Nowadays, condom use is promoted in hotel bathrooms (see above), roadside billboards, and hospitals. The sale of condoms has also become much more open, possibly even more open here in Beijing than in most parts of the United States. In a trip to a Beijing Wal-Mart two weeks ago, condoms (including flavored ones!) were displayed at the checkout counter in place of where gum and candy usually can be found in American grocers. On top of that, boxes of condoms were one of the weekly specials at the Wal-Mart, and buying one large box of regular ones got you a complimentary smaller box of flavored ones. Stay tuned for more on William’s Chinese condom adventures.

Chinese power outlets are 220v, not 110v like standard American ones. Be smart and buy adapters like we did! The Chinese voltage is twice as high and is also much more likely to kill.

To save energy (and costs for the hotel), Chinese hotel rooms require guests to stick in their room key into a special slot that activates the power to the room. This prevents people from wasting energy by leaving their lights on while away from the room. The Freeman Swatties found a loophole — just stick your Swarthmore ID in instead! We still try our best to be environmentally conscious though.

No trip to China is complete without some awesome Engrish. Before you laugh, let’s see YOU say “Forbide All Use Of Fire In Field” in Chinese.

Swat Beijing Summer 2009 » swarthmore

June 9, 2009: Things To Know About China (Part Two)–Will