From 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Tuesday the 14th, couples can stroll into any of the three Lofree restaurants in Shanghai and exhibitionistically suck face make out for 60 seconds to receive "free food until you're full!" more ›

Next time you're in need of some... "protection," don't bother running to the nearest Family Mart, just reach for a bottle of Wahaha's newest yogurt drink Nutri-Express! Netizens were aghast and amused this week at a blog post showing how a bottle of Nutri-Express can be turned into a latex-like substance resembling a condom. more ›

Hard-hitting journalism of the day, from where else but our favourite city newspaper? Shanghai Daily's Xu Chi has scored a major scoop meeting disgruntled donkey-sized laowais who have confided in her that they never seem to be able to find condoms of the right size in this city: more ›

Monday was World Contraception Day, and statistics released by a coalition of 10 international NGOs indicate that about 8 million abortions take place in China each year (which is lower than China's previous estimate of 13 million and their current estimate of 30 million!!) Despite the incredible numbers, Nanjing's universities continue to ban condom vending machines on the basis that their presence could inspire sexually suggestive behavior amongst students. Even if that typical bunk argument is true, more students getting "jiggy with it" while using protection certainly trumps the alternative. more ›

In South Africa, where the HIV incidence rate is well over 10% of the population, condoms are such a weighty matter that the courts will step in if they think you're bringing in substandard condoms. more ›

Here's one good reason why you should never be too adventurous with condoms in China -- buy only brands that you are familiar with! Nothing is known, unfortunately, about where this video was shot.
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The views expressed by Professor Peng Xiaohui (彭晓辉) of the Central China Normal University at a lecture last Tuesday entitled “Sex and Interpersonal Relationships" has fired up a maelstrom of debate, among students present at the lecture and online. more ›

In light of World AIDS Day, the Shanghai health bureau has reported that from January to November 20, 886 people have been diagnosed as HIV positive, 392 people have become AIDS patients, and 25 people have died from AIDS. Unfortunately, these numbers represent an increase from last year, although 72% of new HIV cases were people from outside Shanghai. The good news is that, at at 2 per 10,000 people versus 5 per 10,000 people, the HIV prevalence rate is still lower in Shanghai than the rest of the country. To help combat unsafe sex (the leading reason for HIV/AIDS infections now), the government is helping us by installing condom vending machines in all public places prior to the Expo. So remember to stay safe and promote awareness.
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Ah, the innocence and beauty of young love: our cold, rational hearts are always warmed a bit when we see couples walking around in the throes of their first fling. Relationships are a curious time for new lovers: trying to feel each other out, learning to love and be loved, and of course, actually learning how to make love. more ›

Attention, all y’all who want to capture some of that Olympic vitality: 5,000 official condoms distributed to athletes during the Beijing Olympics are finding their way to the auction block November 29 for…ahem…hard core collectors. The bidding price for the condoms, in special packages printed with “faster, higher, stronger,” (the Olympic motto), will start at 1RMB. Officials believe that most of the condoms were not in fact used, but taken home by participants as souvenirs - let’s hope these are the ones up for bid. more ›

Take a closer look at the packaging next time you use a condom, as it may not be quite what you paid for- Recently an underground production line manufacturing fake brand-name condoms was uncovered in Shaoyang, Hunan Province. Among the counterfeit condoms were such recognizable brands as Love Card, NOX, and Durex. more ›

The more filial amongst us know that Father's Day was this past Sunday. While many of us were giving flowers or chocolate (or in one editor's case, a bottle of 12-year-old Jamesons) for our dad, a 13-year-old Chinese girl gave her single dad a box of condoms as the "ultimate gift for Father's Day." more ›

The Germans and their notoriously risque advertisements may have bitten off more than they can chew with Doc Morris Pharmaceuticals' most recent condom ads. more ›

Someone's been breaking the condom machines around Shanghai! Nobody's completely sure who's doing it or why, but the vandalism has been so bad that the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission has actually issued a decree that all condom machines will be moved indoor to more private and secure locations by June. The new machines will show the products inside, have an empty light and can recognize fake coins. Source: Shanghai Daily. Picture by qilin more ›

Get it on with Durex.
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Chilling news from AFP:

MORE than half of Beijing's prostitutes do not use condoms despite sexual transmission having replaced drug use as the most common infection route for HIV, state media said on Tuesday. more ›

Taking a page from the lessons learned in the Olympic village about condom distribution, more free condoms will be available in Jing'an office buildings reports dfdaily.eastday.com (h/t Shanghai Daily). It appears that over 50 buildings in the district already distribute free condoms and last year over 100,000 rubbers were taken from these venues. more ›

During the Sydney Olympics, 70,000 condoms were distributed to athletes for their use but they ran out so fast that another 20,000 had to be brought in. Learning their lesson, officials for the Athens games provided 130,000 condoms free of charge to athletes. At the meticulously manicured 66 hectare Olympic village, BOCOG officials have done such a wonderful job preparing everything from Peking Duck to Chinese massage, calligraphy lessons, live Chinese folk music and armies of smiling volunteers to keep athletes entertained that they decided they could do without the condom gift-bags this year. Alcohol has been banned in the village (with all the wonderful Chinese tea that you can have, why would you want to booze?) and the inhouse 90s pop disco shuts down at midnight, leading Catherine Bremer of Reuters to declare in this amusing article — "the evening entertainment sucks". We also loved this complaint made in broken English by Kazakh canoeing trainer Alexandr Davydov which pretty much sums up what life is like within the village:

“Is too many smiley and good behavior. No TV and no frozen... Just sitting in the apartment each night...”

Two recent stories from the Shanghai subway system might be worth your notice:
• A score of news reports are heralding new measures to alleviate passenger load on Line 2 trains on the Pudong side, where Zhangjiang High-Tech Park station has become one of the metro system's highest trafficked stations due to what the Xinmin Evening Post calls “白领客流”, the "white-collar passenger flow". More trains are being added to both the morning and afternoon rush hours, and morning hours at Zhangjiang are being extended to match Zhongshan Park's early hours with a first train at 5:55 in the morning. The changes are already reflected on the Shanghai Metro company's website. Also, Zhangjiang Station has begun to use both platforms to send passengers off to Puxi and now has the option of restricting passenger access to the station during overly crowded periods.
• Just like last year's Trojan ads, a new but more risqué Durex ad featuring a woman in hot pants and a construction worker that is being shown on subway and office building LCDs has offended passengers and white-collar workers, and is on its way to being banned within the next week for not passing inspection by the State Food and Drug Administration as an ad for a medical product. A popular editorial titled "Sex Ed is not going to fall from the sky" by SHEN Ruoyu opposes the possible ban and argues that the ostrich approach to sex is not appropriate in this day and age.

And ... ummm ... what ... exactly .... is ... that? more ›

Ladies (and guys with long hair), resist from buying those cheap hair bands you find at the mom and pop stores in your 'hood because the news is out that some of them are made from USED condoms. China Daily cites an unnamed dermatologist with the Guangzhou Hospital of Armed Police who says viruses and bacteria abound on these hair bands recycled from condoms and users could be infected with AIDS, genital warts and other... more ›