Safety Issues

Traffic

While Hangzhou is a comparatively safe environment and there is very little violent crime compared to other cities its size, there are certain hazards that face foreign students. Traffic is one such visible hazard. Traffic is one such visible hazard. According to Reuters, China has the world’s highest annual death toll from traffic accidents, with nearly 100,000 fatalities in 2005, or 207 per day, making China’s roads the most dangerous in the world. According to Ministry of Public Security, these numbers are the lowest since 2001, but the World Health Organization estimates China’s roads cause more than 600 fatalities and 45,000 injuries every day. According to a January 11, 2006, Reuters report, “The high toll is largely a result of negligence, with drivers commonly switching lanes without looking or signaling, ignoring traffic lights, speeding down the wrong side of the road or even throwing their vehicles into reverse when they have missed a highway exit.”

Many foreign visitors to China bring their own expectations and understanding of traffic regulations from their home culture, many of which differ greatly from those in the local culture. Therefore, we strongly advise all students to exercise extreme caution when crossing the street at busy intersections and to cross only at designated crosswalks and only when the pedestrian traffic light is green. Although many Chinese pedestrians will often cross the road at any place and time, it takes much training and practice to do so without getting hit by a vehicle or causing a disruption to the flow of traffic. It is also a violation of local traffic laws to do so. Furthermore, many drivers will assume foreigners do not know how to cross a busy intersection in the middle of traffic and will change their driving pattern sporadically to compensate, which may be unexpected to other drivers and cause further congestion or even an accident.

Students should be warned that in China it is perfectly acceptable for a vehicle to turn right on a red light without stopping first and without slowing down. This means pedestrians have to take extra care when crossing the street at both ends of the crosswalk, even when they have the alleged right of way. In fact it is sometimes more dangerous to cross a busy intersection when the pedestrian crosswalk signal is green than when it is red. It should be assumed that vehicles have the right of way at all times in China, and if a driver and pedestrian make eye contact it is assumed by both parties that the vehicle will proceed first, even if the pedestrian has already begun to cross the road. Students arriving through Hong Kong or spending time in that city, should also know that vehicles drive on the left side of the road in that city, and pedestrians from the U.S. should be extra cautious when crossing the street, as many fatalities occur because foreign visitors are accustomed to looking left instead of right before crossing the road.

As of May 1, 2005, it is now law for all passengers sitting in the front seat of a vehicle, including a taxi, to wear a seatbelt. Penalties for not doing so will be paid by the passenger (ranging from CNY 50 to 200), and since the driver will have points deducted from his license it is not uncommon for a taxi driver to insist that the passenger secure his or her seatbelt.

Students riding bicycles in China are advised to wear a bicycle helmet at all times and to exercise extreme caution in busy areas. Furthermore, students should not assume that other riders or drivers understand the same driving hand signals used in your own culture.

It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle in China without a Chinese driver's license and it is illegal in most cities to carry an adult passenger on a bicycle.

Drugs

Given the long and devastating history of opium trafficking from Great Britain to China prior to the mid-nineteenth century, it is no surprise that the Chinese government takes a strong stance against the trafficking and use of illicit drugs. Illicit narcotic and psychotropic substances are forbidden in China and may not be brought across its borders. This includes so-called “hard drugs,” such as heroin and opium, and so-called “party drugs,” such as cocaine, crystal methamphetamine (speed), MDMA (ecstasy), and cannabis (marijuana or hashish). In China all such narcotics are categorized in similar terms and carry a heavy sentence for cultivation, manufacturing, and trafficking, including the death penalty. Non-American foreigners have been executed for drug offenses in China. We do not want any Friends World Students bringing across a personal supply of recreational drugs into China to be accused of drug trafficking.

The use of illicit drugs is, however, quite common in China. The drugs of choice in China today are heroin (hailuoyin 海洛因) and opium (yapian 鸦片), and injecting or smoking these narcotics is not uncommon among some lower socioeconomic communities, such as migrant workers in the sex industry of developing urban areas. Use of so-called party drugs, however, is increasingly common in the larger urban areas, including Hangzhou and Shanghai, where the drug of choice among youth is MDMA (yaotouwan 摇头丸). Also known as ecstasy, it is common in Chinese night clubs, and foreign students may be propositioned to purchase such illicit drugs from Chinese or foreign dealers, some of whom have connections to the mafia. Cannabis grows wild in many parts of southwest China and the cultivation of licit cannabis (for the production of hemp, oil and seeds) is common in many parts of China, including rural parts of Zhejiang province between Hangzhou and Shanghai. Since most illicit cultivation of the cannabis derivative hashish is produced in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, it is not uncommon for some Uygur migrants from these areas to sell hash in the Muslim districts of Shanghai and other large cities around China.

Purchasing such illicit narcotics is illegal in China and punishable by penalties often more severe than in the U.S. According to our contacts in the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, users of narcotics, regardless of type, will be required to undergo a voluntary or compulsory drug rehabilitation program in China, and may require extended detention. Do not assume that American citizens will be treated differently from Chinese citizens convicted of the same offense. Americans are regularly arrested, convicted and incarcerated for drug offenses by the Chinese government. According to the U.S. Department of State, each year over 2,500 Americans are arrested overseas and one third of these arrests are on drug-related charges. For more information see the U.S. Department of State Hard Facts about drugs abroad. In fall, 2005, there were at least nineteen Americans in prison in the Shanghai American consular district, including two Americans in Hangzhou. The majority of Americans imprisoned in China, however, are incarcerated for financial crimes, such as human trafficking, embezzlement, and corporate espionage. A disproportionate number of Americans imprisoned in China for serious crimes are of Chinese decent.

Students discovered purchasing, dealing or using narcotics in China will be dismissed from the China Center and sent home.

While narcotics are dealt with severity in China, drinking alcohol is widely accepted and a significant part of Chinese culture, and an important component of business relations. There is no minimum drinking age and identification is not requested to enter bars and clubs in China. In fact it can even be difficult to refuse alcoholic beverages in some social settings where loosing ones inhibitions through drink communicates trust between host and guest. Some foreign students below the age of twenty-one find the lax restrictions on drinking in China liberating and as a result over indulge in binge drinking, which is extremely damaging to the liver and often leads to risky behavior and even alcoholism. Students should be warned that most accidents, altercations and violations of local laws involving foreign expatriates in Hangzhou occur under the influence of alcohol and occur within or immediately outside establishments that sell liquor. Friends World students interested in participating in the nightlife of Hangzhou are encourage to exercise restraint, moderation and to use their best judgment. While public drunkenness and possession of alcohol are not illegal in China, Friends World students are expected to maintain proper decorum rather than to reinforce existing Chinese stereotypes of foreign students in China.

According to the experience of China Center faculty over many years, it is remarkably common for Friends World students who do not smoke tobacco or drink alcohol to begin smoking and drinking after living in China for an extended period of time. In part this is due to the cheap cost of Chinese produced cigarettes and alcohol, and in part because smoking and drinking are a pervasive part of Chinese culture, regardless of age, and student exposure to their usage may be greater than at home. According to the Chinese government, in 2005 there were more than 300 million smokers in China, of which some 5 million were under 18 years of age. In addition, persons living outside of their native country and culture are more prone to experiment with new substances and engage in risky behavior never tried at home. It is, however, our wish that students who do not smoke or drink now will leave China with these same healthy habits.

The Hangzhou Municipal Police Department has stated unofficially to China Center faculty that assault and battery is the most common crime committed by Americans residing in the city. Almost all of these offenses are committed inside or in the immediate vicinity of a bar or nightclub where excessive drinking is common. Most of these offenses are assaults by foreigners against other foreigners, including foreign exchange students. Since May, 2005, Baby Face, once the place to be seen, now has an unsavory reputation among the expatriate community in Hangzhou, with reported incidence of targeted violence against foreign men—especially those with Chinese partners—by alleged members of the local mafia. We recommend that students avoid this location and other bars where fights breakout. While most days and at most hours the bars in Hangzhou are extraordinarily welcoming to foreigners and offer safe and enjoyable spaces to relax with friends, you are advised to use caution, avoid heavy drinking, and leave at a reasonable hour. For more information see the Criminal Penalties section of the U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheet on China.

For more information, please see the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Intelligence Brief on China and the Chinese government whitepaper on Narcotics Control in China.

Sex

As late as the last decade of the twentieth-century, sex between individuals outside of marriage was considered illegal in China. The ostensible purpose of this law was to control prostitution. While consensual sex between adults is no longer illegal in China, some hotels in third-tier cities still require Chinese couples to show a marriage certificate. The hotel staff is less concerned with the sexual practices of two foreign nationals, but sex between foreigners and Chinese may be scrutinized, and a Chinese female partner may be suspected or even questioned for prostitution.

Prostitution is extremely common in China and takes many forms. Chinese Public Security sources estimate that there were over four to six million sex workers in China in 2000. Many prostitutes in eastern China are migrant workers from villages outside the province who came to larger and more affluent cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou in search of better economic conditions, but out of financial desperation turn to prostitution as a means of survival. While for others it may be a lifestyle choice, and there are reports of university women engaging in part-time prostitution on campus, for example. According to our sources in the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, any form of contractual sex in China is punishable up to CNY 5,000 or fifteen days in jail. While the choice between fine and jail time is typically that of the offender, several foreign nationals in Shanghai were imprisoned for two-weeks in 2005 during the Anti-Prostitution Week.

The most common venue for prostitution in China is the hotel, and men staying in a single room should be warned that it is not uncommon to receive a phone call or visitor at the door soliciting sex, especially when students travel independently and stay in budget or midrange price hotels. Another venue to approach with caution is the Karaoke Television (KTV) bar, where professional female escorts pour drinks and chat with customers, typically for extraordinarily high prices. Male students are warned not to accept invitations from unfamiliar persons, male or female, who invite you to enter a KTV bar. Likewise, there are professional female escorts that work at dance clubs and bars, typically those frequented by Chinese and overseas Chinese clientele. It is not always apparent who are professionals and who are not, and some unwitting male students have reported proprietors asking payment for having a brief conversation with one of these young women, including the price of her drinks. While many young Chinese frequent dance clubs and bars with friends and partners, very few Chinese would choose such a venue to meet a partner for a serious relationship, and Friends World students are encouraged to use similar discretion. Female students should also be warned that because of the portrayal of Western women in Hollywood films, some Chinese men believe American women are more receptive to sexual approach. Students who are concerned about this should not visit bars or dance clubs alone and are encouraged to go together with a group of trusted friends. Similar stereotypes of gay American men also exist in China, and since homosexuality remains a social taboo for most of Chinese society, many gay Chinese men approach foreign men more openly.

Another venue to approach with caution in China is the massage parlor and the hair parlor, many of which provide certain sexual services in addition to massage and haircuts. Certainly this is not the case for all parlors in China, and students frequently get their haircut or receive massage in Hangzhou without incident. However, some male students have been aggressively propositioned and female students have been refused service at establishments of less repute. To avoid being propositioned, we suggest that male students avoid seeking services after 10:00 P.M., and never after drinking, and it is best to go together with a female friend, avoid inexpensive establishments or those with pink or red interior lights.

HIV is a growing epidemic in China and awareness about the disease remains a problem despite government efforts, especially in smaller cities and rural parts of China where misconceptions about HIV are common. For example, many budget hotel rooms in China sell a type of sanitary wipe, allegedly used to remove STDs after intercourse, but these same hotels often do not provide condoms for sale with the same convenience. While intravenous heroin users account for over 70% of the confirmed HIV/AIDS cases in China, there are several other at-risk communities, including female sex workers and gay men. In March, 2004, the Zhejiang Bureau of Health began to offer free and rapid HIV testing and counseling at gay bars in Hangzhou every Saturday night, with test results available in twenty minutes. According to experts conducting the tests, there are an estimated 10,000 gay men in urban Hangzhou, and 80% practice unsafe sex, and 3% tested positive for the HIV virus. According to government statistics, the first HIV case in Zhejiang Province was reported in 1985, which has grown to a total of 686 known HIV cases in the province by 2004. Students may be tested for HIV or other diseases, may do so at any of the large provincial hospitals, or at the Zhejiang Provincial Health Inspection Department. Another and more common sexually transmitted disease in China is herpes. Dr. Marko of the Zheyi Hospital in Hangzhou estimates that some sexually active communities in Hangzhou are infected with the herpes simplex virus at rates as high as 70%.

Since the Friends World community is a friendly group of likeminded individuals sharing exciting experiences together in a shared environment, it is natural for romantic relationships to develop between students within the Friends World program. Please be aware, however, that intimate relationships with other students on the program could end mid-semester and may produce an awkward dynamic for those members of our community. Many Friends World students, both male and female, also find romantic partners within the Chinese community of Hangzhou or with other members of the international student community on campus, and in several cases these relationships have grown into long-term commitments and even marriage. Students should know, however, that Chinese expectation about dating may be different than American ones, and while the dating practices among the younger Chinese generations are changing quickly and do differ from those of their parents, it seems to remain the case that sex with Chinese assumes a serious commitment and may imply that he or she is considering marriage.

In China birth control is typically the responsibility of the male partner, and condoms are available at most 24-hour convenience stores in Hangzhou, such as C-Store and Kedi as well as from adult products stores, available throughout most cities in China.

Sexual harassment of students by faculty or staff or by other students is not tolerated. If you feel that you are the victim of sexual harassment, please notify the Academic Director or any Faculty Advisor. All complaints will be addressed seriously and confidentially.

Other

Students should not photograph members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), prisoners, prisons, military installations or other secure areas off-limits to civilians and foreigners.

It is not uncommon for some students to experience racism in China, especially against black Americans and Japanese. Anti-Japanese sentiment in China is especially strong and may turn to violence during the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to the Yasukuni Shinto shrine in Tokyo, which honors fourteen Class-A war criminals from World War II, along with the 2.47 million Japanese war dead enshrined there since the mid-19th century. The shrine is viewed as a symbolic center of Japanese right-wing nationalism by most Chinese, which Prime Minister Junichiro Koisumi has visited at least four times since in office, on August 12, 2001, April 23, 2002, January 15, 2003 and January 1, 2004. Another long-standing controversy between China and Japan that has sparked violent protests in China, including Hangzhou, is the controversy over conservative Japanese history textbooks that minimize wartime atrocities committed by Japan in China and Korea. In 2005 the Japanese bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council fueled these protests and spawned large-scale student protests, which soon turned violent when vandals attacked Japanese establishments in Hangzhou.

Chinese American students may find that some Chinese expect them to behave in ways that are more culturally Chinese and may hold Americans of Chinese descent to stricter standards than European Americans, for example. It is also common for some Chinese to assume Chinese Americans can or should speak fluent Chinese, and this may in certain circumstances lead to significant cultural misunderstanding.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many hiking opportunities in the mountains of Hangzhou, but female students should exercise caution and are advised to not hike alone, on secluded trails, or after dark. All students are also warned that the hills are home to wild boar, which
although quite illusive, have been known to attack people, especially in the mountains directly south of Middle Tianzhu Monastery, and students should exercise caution and avoid hiking at dusk.

Health concerns in China, in addition to those discussed above, can be serious and students should consult the Health and Safety Announcement on the American Citizen Services in Shanghai website, which provides current public announcements and updates for such diseases as SARS, Avian and Swine Influenza.

For specific information about Avian Influenza, please refer to the following sites:

U.S State Department avian influenza fact sheet

USAID Influenza Response

U.S. State Department avian influenza travel fact sheet

CDC interim guidance about avian influenza for U.S. citizens living abroad

WHO avian influenza homepage

HHS pandemic influenza preparedness plan

USDA/APHIS highly pathogenic avian influenza fact sheet

The Center for Global Education Special Issue on Avian Flu

Back to Health and Safety