C is for Condom

Here in Shanghai, there sits on the walls of the city, some little tin boxes. Often times they are located next to fuse boxes, or meters and because of this, it took me some time to notice them.

These boxes have nothing to do with electricity or gas- they are vending machines for prophylactics. They are there for anyone who has the 1 yuan (roughly a sixth of a Canadian dollar)to purchase them. At first I was mildly puzzled. In North America, bars and other venues have boxes discreetly located in washrooms (and with the advent of "women's liberation" it is possible to find them in the ladies' rooms as well). Here, they are bolted to the walls of the communities and are therefore accessible at all times to and to all. There is no need to wait for normal store hours, or to suffer the the potential embarrassment of paying for them in a busy corner store.

It is my guess that the boxes are conveniently located to make it easier for people to work with the "one child" policy of this country- which is particularly enforced in the large city- like Shanghai.