With condoms

Author: Wu Luping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: It is reported that the boy felt very embarrassed after opening the gift, and the classmates present burst into laughter all night. Later, the boy felt receiving this gift was truly a "surprise" and indeed something he never expected. The gift was eventually thrown into the trash bin. In fact, it is not an isolated case for a music department student to receive a condom as a birthday gift. Relevant reports indicate that the practice of girls giving condoms as birthday gifts to boys has long existed in some universities in Guangzhou, particularly in institutions with a large number of overseas students and more progressive art schools. Some educators believe that this reflects the younger generation's mockery and rethinking of traditional values, as contemporary college students are beginning to approach sex with more rational and modern perspectives. Others, however, criticize this as an overly vulgar and lowbrow act.
A representative from a gift company suggests that as college students are generally highly educated, birthday gifts should be particularly mindful of taste and meaningfulness. The implication is that giving condoms as birthday gifts lacks taste and is considered vulgar. Those who hold critical opinions argue that for young men and women, especially college students, involvement with sex and related reproductive health products is inherently "vulgar" and "lacking in taste." This mindset is a byproduct of traditional feudal orthodoxy that deemed sex as lowly and debauched.
In Shen Congwen's short story Qiaoxiu and Dongsheng, there is a scene where a widow, Qiaoxiu, falls in love with a single farmer and engages in sexual relations, only to be caught by the clan leader. According to clan rules, the widow is stripped naked, tied to a stone mill, and drowned to death; as for the man, his legs are broken as punishment. What crime did they commit? In Western medieval terms, it was called "original sin," and in China, it was referred to as "lewd conduct." It was considered a crime punishable by death, and any punishment was deemed necessary for upholding orthodox morality. Isn't this story an illustration of the doctrine "sin stems from lust" in traditional Chinese feudal culture? Since "lust is the root of all evils," then Yang Qingsao would naturally scold her younger brother for "not learning his lesson" and for giving condoms, which she would call "teaching his older brother to do bad." Similarly, college students giving condoms as birthday gifts are undoubtedly "lacking in taste." The influence of traditional customs cannot be underestimated. Even now, when purchasing condoms, many people still feel shy, anxious, indecisive, and uneasy. Buying reproductive health products is, after all, a good and serious matter, yet it is done with a sense of insecurity—quite strange, isn't it? The hypocrisy and inhumanity of traditional Chinese sex culture must be mercilessly criticized and dissected to bring family planning work, including the promotion and use of condoms, to a scientific and rational level.
A "secret" of the Shenzhen family planning system. For years, the Shenzhen family planning system has "lived off the land," sending condom gifts to leaders and relevant units during the Spring Festival. Comfortingly, no one criticized this practice as vulgar or lowbrow; instead, it received strong support from leaders and relevant units for family planning and condom promotion work.