'Condom painting' promotes sex education

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-08 17:28

BEIJING: At first glance, it is a traditional Chinese ink painting of breathtaking scenery of steep peaks standing on the banks of the Li River in south China's Guilin.

But take a closer look. You'll find the painting is not the work of brush and paper, but a mosaic of some 60,000 condoms painted in different colors.

The unique "condom painting", 18 meters long and 3.5 meters wide, is the top attraction at an exhibition of sex and "reproductive health technology" and products under way in the Chinese capital.

"We want to arouse interest, to show the public that sex can be beautiful and healthy, not a taboo not openly talked about in China before," said Tao Ran, manager of the Guilin Latex Factory, a leading condom producer in the world's most populous country.

Tao said Saturday the "condom painting" was the factory'd latest effort to persuade the Chinese to use condoms for the purpose of contraception and disease prevention.

"It (a condom) is not mysterious. It's just a conventional method to avoid unwanted pregnancy or HIV/AIDS," said Tao. "But sadly, some conservative Chinese still believe it is unsightly and even obscene."

Chinese are now much more open about sex now in the wake of three decades of sweeping economic and social reforms. But health experts said many were still uninformed about contraception such as condom use.

Wu Shangchun, an official with the National Population and Family Planning Commission, said last week that gaps in sex education and the lack of use of contraception might well be blamed for the 13 million abortions performed in China every year, according to national newspaper China Daily.

"We want the public to view the condom as a common thing and use it correctly," Tao said.

Many are heeding his call. Free condoms, sex toys, and pamphlets on safe pregnancy and a healthy sex life have been "hotly pursued" at the Fifth Reproduction Health Technology and Products Exhibition at the Beijing Exhibition Center, organizers said.

Eighty thousand free admission tickets for the three-day event, which closes on Sunday, have been given out.

At the exhibition, artists have used colorful condoms to make gowns and other articles, attracting camera-wielding visitors from all over the country.

A booklet even explains humorous and "unique" functions of the condom, such as its use as an emergency water container during outdoor adventures.

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