Travel Wisdom - on sexual harrassment in China - Anne Mustoe

 

                                                          

" When I drew out of Beijing station at 2 P. M , two men sat opposite me, one aged 67 and the other 20, I knew their ages within moments. ' What is your country? where are you going? How old are you? Are you Married? Where is your husband? How many children have you got? What is your profession? How much did your bicycle cost? ' This is the question and answer routine which haunts every traveller in the east . At the first stop we were joined by a third man, who climbed into the bunk above me and the immediatley fall asleep. By 3. P.M , I was sharing a compartment with three sleeping men". 

Travelling in China has many problems, but sexual harassment is not one of them. It must be the only country in the world where those 20 years old blondes, I mentioned in my Beijing talk can walk about alone in comfort.The main reason is that the Chinese find other races unattractive. They call westerners hairy and our smell revolting. They take an even dimmer view of races with darker skins . The result of all this , happily for women tourists, is that even chinese rapists give them a wide berth. 

But quite apart from personal feelings , there are official restrictions. One of the duties of the Public Security Bureau(PSB) is to prevent sexual relationships between Chinese nationals and Non Chinese. Couples may be challenged by the PSB in hotels and clubs , and even when innocently sharing a taxi. The foreign partner usually getts off with a reprimand , or the temperory loss of his passport, but the Chinese can be arrested and punished . Because men have more freedom in China- as they do elsewhere- a Chinese man will be excused a foreign liaison more readily than a Chinese women . So western men must be carefull not to insult a Chinese women ( the official term) by becoming too friendly . Its ironic that China was a stern critic of apartherid in South Africa. 

Fortunately for me , I was respected for my age as well, so I was totally free of unwanted attentions in China - a blissfull change on my lone travels . 

- Anne Mustoe 's  LONE TRAVELLER   ( one woman , two wheels and the world ) on cycle . on her travel arround Beijing in 1997 -- pg 176 .. read on 11/ 5 / 13