Beijing’s AIDS prevention activities are not limited to public service advertisements. Yesterday, a campaign to promote condom use started with the installation of about 1,000 condom vending machines at hotels, bars and universities. Construction sites might also get vending machines in the near future.
The condoms have been provided by two local sponsors: Strong Man (nanzi han) and Flower Immortal (hua xianzi). and will be sold for 1 yuan each. The vending machines are divided into two colors: metallic grey for hotels and yellow for other venues.
The designers of the machines gave the following reasons for the choice of colors: yellow is the color of ‘second class warning’, and can remind lusty youth to cherish their health and be careful. Yellow also ‘meets the needs of trendy energetic consumers’, while the grey machines in hotels look unobtrusive and natural. The vending machine producer is also planning to stock them with condoms of different colors and types. The reds AIDS ribbon will also be printed on all the machines.
Most university students welcome this measure, but some of them still have concerns:
“I do not think I can buy a condom with good quality by only 1 yuan.”
“This measure is against university policy which stipulates that students who have sex on campus before marriage should be expelled.”
The above information and photo were taken from a report in today’s Beijing News. There is a Xinhua report on the vending machines here.