“Double Butterfly” Condom - Futures Group

2001 Baseline Behavioural Surveillance Study in 

Yunnan and Sichuan Province 

Sex Workers’ Impressions of 

Condoms and Condom Availability, 

Including the Socially Marketed 

“Double Butterfly” Condom 

Horizon Market Research 

Futures Group Europe 

December 2002

Contents 

Chapter 1. 

Chapter 2. 

Introduction…………………..……….……………………….…1 

Methods………………………………..…………….……………2 

Chapter 3. Findings………………………………………..………………….3 

Section 1. Characteristics of Sex Workers………………………….……........3 

Section 2. Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Regarding HIV/AIDS 

Section 3. Preferences for Condoms……………………………………….…4 

I. Function……………………………………………………………5 

II. Price…………………………………………………..…………..10 

Section 4. Where Sex Workers Purchase Condoms………………………….12 

I. How Sex Workers Know Where to Buy Condoms……………….12 

II. Where Sex Workers Tend to Purchase Condoms…………………19 

III. Availability of Condoms………………………………………….22 

IV. Sex Workers’ Attitudes Towards Condom Brands, Including 

The “Double Butterfly” Condom………………………………...24 

Section 5. Sex Worker Choice of Condom Brands………………………….25 

I. Degree of Brand Recognition……………………………………25 

II. Favorite Condom Brands………………………………………...26 

Section 6. Sex Worker Appraisal of the Appearance of “Double Butterfly”..35 

I. Acceptability of the Outside Package……………………………35 

II. Colors of the “Double Butterfly” Condom………………………40 

III. Appraisal of the Inside Package………………………………….44 

Chapter 4. 

Summary………………………………………………..……....48

© 2002 Horizon Research and Futures Group Europe 

Acknowledgements 

Founded in 1992, Horizon Market Survey and Analysis Corporation (Horizon 

Research) is an independent professional research firm. Employing modern survey 

methods and consulting technologies, Horizon Research specializes in providing 

investigational services for leading enterprises and analyzing prominent 

socio-economic problems arising from the period of market-oriented reforms. Based 

on its professional market surveys and profound understanding of China’s social 

culture, and benefiting from the senior consulting of Horizon’s Progress Strategy 

Division, as well as the instantaneous information services of Horizon’s Horizonkey 

website, Horizon Research Group delivers professional overall processed market 

surveys and consulting services for domestic Chinese enterprises and international 

corporations targeting Chinese markets in this new era of economic development. 

Futures Group Europe (FGE) is a research, management marketing, and strategic 

planning consulting organization with global expertise and capability. FGE is a 

partner under the 2000-2005 China-UK HIV Prevention and Care Project, with 

funding from the Department of International Development (DFID). FGE has a 

contract with DFID (prime contract number CNTR 00 0383) to carry out a condom 

social marketing (CSM) project in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces with the goal of 

helping China mount an effective national response to HIV/AIDS in China. 

For this project, Dr Victor Y. Yuan of Horizon Research, Dr. Karen Hardee of Futures 

Group Europe and Tim Manchester of Futures Group Europe served as team leaders. 

Xiaoli Chen was the team supervisor. Team members included: Chengwei Yang, 

Nianzhou Li, Bo Liu, Jin Tang, Yan Li. Nianzhou Li and Bo Liu edited the report, 

under Xiujuan Yin as editor. 

The researchers would like to extend our profound thanks to the gatekeepers, sex 

workers and men who participated in the study. The time and cooperation they 

extended to us were invaluable in giving us a deeper understanding of the social 

context of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan and Sichuan, China. 

The research outcome of this project belongs solely to Futures Group Europe. Horizon 

Research and Futures Group Europe withhold the technical copyright of the study.

Study Highlights 

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The sex workers generally listed the same functions as important for condoms. 

Their top 10 favorite condom functions included “lubricated” ( 82%), 

“durable” (55%), “flavored” (42%), “elastic” (28%), “famous brand” ( 26%) , 

“thin” ( 24%) , “good-looking package” ( 18%) , “bright color” ( 16%), 

“thick” ( 11%) and “cheap (inexpensive)” ( 10%). 

The average acceptable maximum price for a 12-condom package was RMB 

20.9 and the average minimum was RMB 7.5. The average acceptable 

maximum price for Yunnan sex workers was RMB 21.5 and their average 

acceptable minimum price was RMB 7.8, higher than those of RMB 20.3 and 

RMB 7.1 for their Sichuan counterparts. 

Favorite places to buy condoms among sex workers included: large 

drugstore ( 34%), medium-sized drugstore ( 18%), regular place (17%), 

hospital ( 12%) and sex shop (12%). The Yunnan and Sichuan sex workers 

had common opinions on favorite places to purchace condoms. 

Knowledge of the female condom was fairly low. One in four (24%) of sex 

workers had heard of the female condom and only 16% of them had the 

experience of using a female condom. Of the sex workers who knew of the 

female condom, most knew of a source for it: drugstore ( 81%), sex shop 

(41%), family planning center or hospital ( 36%), small shop or super market 

14%), and medicine counter of large shopping center or department store 

(14%). 

Sex workers believe that there is a complete condom sales outlet system 

around the sex work establishment. Two of three (70%) sex workers in both 

provinces could buy condom within five minutes’ walk from their 

establishment or house. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of Yunnan sex workers 

could buy a condom within a five minute walk, compared to 68% in Sichuan. 

However, differences in condom availability are evident among different 

cities. 

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Condom brands are important to the sex workers. Three-quarters (73%) of 

sex workers paid special attention to condom brands (77% in Yunnan and 69% 

in Sichuan). Over half (58.%) of the sex workers in both provinces preferred 

well-known condom brands. Although there were of more than 60 condom 

brands sold in the condom sales outlets, the sex workers concentrated their 

interest on “True Man” (30%), “Strong Man” ( 20%), “Ausny” ( 15%), 

“Durex” ( 3%) and “Angel” ( 2%). Among those, “Strong Man” was the

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preferred band among 33% of the Sichuan sex workers while “Ausny” was the 

preferred brand for 22% of the Yunnan sex workers. Other brands on the top 

10 list had equal degrees of preference among the sex workers in both 

provinces. 

As part of the study, the sex workers were shown the condom pack for the 

“Doubly Butterfly” socially marketed condom under the Futures Group 

Europe Condom Social Marketing Progran of the China-UK AIDS Prevention 

and Control Project. The sex workers tended to accept the packaging of the 

“Double Butterfly” condom. One in three (34.8%) of the sex workers could 

identify the product without any hints, and 89.6% of the sex workers said they 

liked the packaging. The sex workers from Yunnan and Sichuan shared similar 

opinions on the “Double Butterfly” condom. 

The sex workers tended to accept the yellow on green package color of the 

“Double Butterfly” condom. One in four (26%) of the sex workers thought 

green was good and does not need to be replaced. However, 24% suggested 

red, 14% suggested pink, 9% suggested blue and 8% suggested white. The sex 

workers from Yunnan and Sichuan shared similar opinions in this respect. 

The sex workers preferred the outside package of the “Double Butterfly” 

condom to its inside package. Two in ten (20%) of the sex workers 

complained the inside package was too large and would not be easy to carry; 

4% said they preferred oblong packages (which do not meet WHO 

international standards for condom packaging).


Chapter 1 

Introduction 

“Over the next two decades, what happens in China will determine the global burden 

of HIV/AIDS.” 1 

China’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, started in 1985 with the country’s first diagnosed HIV 

infected individual to the more than one million people infected at the end of 2001, has 

been fueled by intravenous drug users (IDUs), blood sellers and more recently 

commercial sex. 2 Official data indicate that at the end of 2000, 7% of those infected with 

the HIV virus were infected through sexual transmission. 3 

It is imperative to increase the use of condoms, particularly among sex workers and their 

partners. China’s intensive family planning program has long promoted long-term 

methods of contraception in order for Chinese couples to adhere to the country’s so-called 

one-child policy. The condom, while provided through the family planning program, 

has been little promoted for Chinese couples. Furthermore, the condom promoted 

through the family planning program is called the “preventing pregnancy sheath,” while 

the condom for protecting from disease is called the “protection sheath.” Condoms are 

readily available in China, however, most are of a low standard that does not meet 

international standards of quality for HIV/AIDS programs. 

In order to promote condoms for protection against STI and HIV (and as a dual 

method for pregnancy prevention), it is important to understand what women and men 

know and think about condoms and what characteristics they like and dislike about 

condoms. 

A modified behavioural surveillance (BSS) study was carried out Yunnan and Sichuan 

in July-November 2001 by Horizon Market Research on behalf of The Futures Group 

Europe (FGE), which is a partner under the 2000-2005 China-UK HIV Prevention and 

Care Project, with funding from the Department of International Development (DFID). 

FGE has a contract with DFID (prime contract number CNTR 00 0383) to carry out a 

condom social marketing (CSM) project in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces with the 

goal of helping China mount an effective national response to HIV/AIDS in China. 

This report addresses sex workers’ views on condoms, including their knowledge 

about male and female condoms, where they purchase condoms, their preferred 

brands and the prices they are willing to pay. The report also provides details of the 

sex workers’ impressions of the socially marketed “Double Butterfly” condom. 

Sexual workers report 1


Chapter 2 Methods 

The BSS is a monitoring and evaluation tool that uses HIV and sexually transmitted 

diseases (STD) serologic surveillance methods to track trends in HIV/AIDS-related 

knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in at-risk populations such as sex workers, 

injecting drug users, migrant men, and truck drivers, among other groups. 4 The BSS 

sets a standard methodology for sampling, survey development, implementation and 

analysis. BSS findings “yield evidence of project impact, provide indicators of 

project success and highlight persistent problem areas, identify appropriate 

intervention target populations, identify specific behaviors in need of change, function 

as a policy and advocacy tool, and supply comparative data concerning behavioural 

risk.” 5 

This study used the modules for commercial sex workers and for men. In addition, a 

qualitative module was added for gatekeepers and a quantitative module was added 

for condom sales outlets. Extra questions on condoms were added to the 

questionnaires for commercial sex workers and men. 

Detailed information on the methodology and fieldwork for this study is contained in 

the main report of the sex workers. In all, 811 interviews were completed (out of 

1,252 sex workers contacted) in five types of sex work facilities (bars/karaoke clubs, 

beauty saloons, sauna/houses, night clubs/hotels, and on the street). The study was 

conduced in 12 locations, six each in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces (the capital city, 

the prefectural city and four towns in each province). 



Chapter 3. 

Findings 

Section 1. Characteristics of the Sex Workers 

This section provides background information on the background and sex work 

experience of the sex workers and on their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related 

to HIV/AIDS. More details of these findings can be found in the main report of the 

sex workers. 

The average age of the sex workers was 22.4. Nearly three-quarters (71.6%) of the 

sex workers were age 24 or below. Nearly one in five (16.5%) were age 18 or below. 

The sex workers tended to be younger in Sichuan than in Yunnan. 

Most sex workers (73.5%) had junior middle school education or below. Of those, 

1.5% had no school education, 6.2% did not finish their primary school education, 

10% had primary school education, 11.4% did not finish their junior middle school 

education and 44.4% completed their junior middle school education. Educational 

attainment among the sex workers was lower in Sichuan than in Yunnan. 

Two out of three (64.7%) of the sex workers were born in the province in which they 

were currently living and working. A higher percentage of the sex workers in 

Sichuan than in Yunnan were locally (84.7% compared to 44.5% in Yunnan). 

Most of the sex workers (90.5%) were Han ethnicity (China’s predominant ethnic 

group). In Sichuan, 97.2% of the sex workers were Han, compared to 83.8% in 

Yunnan (an area of China with a number of ethnic minority groups). 

One in three sex workers had other jobs. Those that did have other jobs had mostly 

menial jobs, such as hairdresser/hairwasher (30.0%), sales (22.8%) and song/dance 

companion (12.9%). 

More than half of the sex workers (58.1%) had to support other family members. 

The sex workers who supported others supported an average of 2.3 people. 

Few sex workers (11.4%) had ever had an HIV test (11.9% in Sichuan and a lower 

10.9% in Yunnan). Most (83.5%) of the sex workers who had such examinations 

volunteered to have the test, and of those, 96.5% of them knew the results. 

Nearly one in ten (8.8%) of the sex workers admitted that they had experienced 

genital discharge or an ulcer/sore (13 of the sex workers had experienced both). 

Among them, 67.7% stopped sexual behavior, 30.9% turned to condoms, 34.6% 

talked about it with sexual partners, 43.4% bought medicine from private drug stores, 



14.1% took medicine available at home, and only 50.8% of the medicine-using sex 

workers took all the required medicine. 

The sex workers had been engaging in sex for an average of 5.2 years (5.3 years in 

Sichuan and 5 years in Yunnan). On average, the sex workers in both provinces had 

been working in the commercial sex industry for an average of 2.5 years. 

Most of the sex workers (70.6%) had never been married, and non-paying sexual 

relationships were common as well. In both provinces around two-thirds of the sex 

workers had non-paying sexual relationships (62.7% in Yunnan and a bit lower 60% 

in Sichuan). 

Section 2. 

Regarding HIV/AIDS 

Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior 

Generally speaking, the sex workers had fairly good information about HIV/AIDS. 

Most answered correctly that HIV can be spread by shared syringes (93.5%), mother 

to child transmission (MTCT) (93.1%) and breastfeeding (81.8%). In addition, 

78.7% of the sex workers gave right answers when asked if a healthy person could be 

infected with AIDS and 71.1% knew that using condoms for every act of intercourse 

helps avoid AIDS infection. However, only 59.4% and 54.5% gave right answers 

respectively to whether mosquito bites or shared meals can transmit HIV. The Yunnan 

sex workers knew more than their Sichuan counterparts about how HIV is spread. 

Sex workers were more likely to report using condoms with commercial sex partners 

than with non-paying regular sexual partners. Nearly all (91.4%) of the sex workers 

said they used a condom the last time they had paying sex, among them, 65.7% 

suggested the condom use. In contrast, 40.4% of the sex workers said they used 

condoms during their last non-paying sex; of those, 60.6% suggested using a condom. 

Perhaps a more accurate estimate of condom use, 57.7% of the sex workers said they 

used condoms in every commercial sex act in the past 30 days. In contrast, only 

18.7% of the sex workers said they used a condom during every act of intercourse 

with their non-paying partners in the past 12 months. 

Sex workers had different reasons for not using a condom during the last commercial 

sex and during the last non-paying sex. In commercial sex, they did not have a 

choice - 47.4% attributed non-usage to the customers’ refusal. In non-commercial sex, 

not using a condom was a conscious decision - 70.3% of the sex workers thought it 

unnecessary. 

Regulations of establishments influenced condom use somewhat. Three-quarters (78.9%) of 

the sex workers believed that they would get support from the female gatekeeper (mami) in 

insisting on condom use with a customer. However, only 12.7% said that their 

establishment had such a rule. 



Economic interests influenced condom use. Nearly two in ten (19%) of the sex 

workers admitted that condom use affected their income. In Yunnan, commercial sex 

workers said they could charge an average of RMB 247.4 6 for sex without a condom 

– 1.7 times that of sex with a condom at RMB 144.7. In Sichuan, non-condom sex 

service could earn an average of RMB 180.6, 1.4 times that of condom-using sex 

service at RMB 125.8. 

Section 3 Preference and Requirements for Condoms 

I. Function – lubrication ranked first 

Generally speaking, the sex workers shared the top 10 tastes of a condom’s function: 

“lubricated” (81.9%), “durable” (55.3%), “flavored” (42.1%), “elastic” (28.2%), 

“famous brand” (26.1%), “thin” (24.4%), “good-looking package” (17.7%), “bright 

color” (15.7%), “thick” (11%) and “cheap” (9.7%) (Table1). 

The Sichuan and Yunnan sex workers had slight differences in their preferred condom 

functions. The Yunnan sex workers had higher demand for “thin” (27.0%) and “bright 

colored” (18.9%) The Sichuan sex workers had higher demand for “elastic” (30.5%), 

“famous brand” (32.6%) and “cheap” (12.6%). 

The sex workers in different types of sex work establishments also had slight 

differences in preferred condom functions (Table 2). The sex workers at sauna/bath 

houses had higher demand for “durable” (61.9%) and “thin” (29.8%), those at 

nightclubs/hotels had higher demand for “bright color” (18.2%), those at bars/karaoke 

clubs had higher demand for “lubricated” (85.3%) and “flavored” (46.7%), those at 

beauty saloons had higher demand for “famous brand” (29.3%), and the street sex 

workers had higher demand for “good-looking package” (21.8%) and “cheap” 

(21.8%). 

The sex workers in different age groups also had slight differences in favorite condom 

functions (Table 3). The sex workers below 16 had higher demand for “good-looking 

package” (23.1%) and “thick” (19.4%), those at 19-24 had higher demand for 

“flavored” (46.1%) and “bright-color” (19%), those 25-29 had higher demand for 

“lucrative” (90.3%), “durable” (59.1%), “elastic” (31.4%), “famous brand” (33.3%) 

and “thin” (28.6%), and those above 30 had higher demand for “cheap” (21.5%). 

The qualitative supplementary investigation results indicated that good promotion 

measures would help encourage people to use condoms. First, the condom should help 

achieve the true feeling of non-condom sexual behavior, having “thin” and “elastic” 

functions. Some suggested new functions of condos may be helpful, such as new 



condoms with agnail on the surface and bright colors. Some advocated more 

promotion measures, for example, matching lotion, data on best anti-AIDS prevention 

measures, among others. As for the customers who rejected condoms, showing the 

disadvantages of non-condom use and advantages of condom use was the best way to 

persuade them to use condoms. 

Besides that of public media, such as TV and newspaper, the sex workers thought that 

propaganda in drugstores and hospitals, especially near the department of gynecology 

and obstetrics, would also be effective. 

Descriptions of demands on condom function: “It is thin, to create the real feeling.” “High 

quality.” “lubricated and quality are most important. It should not be vulnerable and 

thick.” “It is thin but not vulnerable.” “Elastic.” “It has lubricant.” “It has studs on the 

outside surface, which helps both customer and I have good feeling.” “Flavored.” 

Description of demands on condom sales: “A package has large-medium-small-sized 

condom at the same time.” “Good-looking package.” “It has germicide with condom.” “It 

has cleaning liquid medicine.” “It has some information on AIDS prevention.” “It indicates 

the function of AIDS prevention.” “It explains STDs/AIDS prevention knowledge and 

measure.” “Buy one, get one free.” “A pamphlet on AIDS prevention is attached.” 

Description of demand on propaganda means: “TV and walls (posters).” “Newspaper 

and pamphlets.” “Bosses offer pamphlets.” “Newspaper, especially, commercial and 

morning issues.” “Door-to-door propaganda.” “Some pamphlets should be put in hospital, 

especially near the department of gynecology and obstetrics.” “In hospital.” “In the 

department of gynecology and obstetrics.” “Make introduction of STDs/AIDS knowledge 

in hospital.” “Put pamphlets near the medical guidance board.” “In drugstore.” 



Table 1: The qualities sex workers favor in a condom, by province 

Yunnan Sichuan Total 

frequency % frequency % frequency % 

Free 9 2.3 22 5.6 31 3.9 

Low price 27 6.8 50 12.6 77 9.7 

Producer 11 2.7 32 8.1 43 5.4 

Brand 78 19.6 130 32.6 208 26.1 

Close location of place to buy 18 4.4 58 14.6 76 9.5 

Privacy at location to buy 38 9.5 31 7.9 69 8.7 

Package 54 13.6 87 21.8 141 17.7 

Foreign -made 15 3.8 34 8.5 49 6.1 

Strong 215 54.2 225 56.4 440 55.3 

Thick 49 12.2 39 9.7 87 11.0 

Tight 25 6.2 29 7.2 53 6.7 

Spring 103 25.9 122 30.5 225 28.2 

Vivid 74 18.5 52 13.0 125 15.7 

Smell well 165 41.4 171 42.8 335 42.1 

Lubricat ed 333 83.7 320 80.2 653 81.9 

Translucent 23 5.7 3 0.7 26 3.2 

no lubrication 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

high price 14 3.5 8 1.9 22 2.7 

dotted or whorled 21 5.4 12 3.0 33 4.2 

recommended by the boss 2 0.6 4 1.0 6 0.8 

Thin 107 27.0 87 21.9 195 24.4 

Comfy - - 3 0.8 3 0.4 

no smell 5 1.2 2 0.5 7 0.9 

no dotted 2 0.5 4 0.9 6 0.7 

Disinfectant 38 9.6 12 3.1 50 6.3 

Tiny 3 0.7 2 0.6 5 0.7 

Medium 1 0.4 1 0.3 2 0.3 

reasonable price 6 1.6 1 0.3 8 1.0 

rectangle inner-package - - 5 1.2 5 0.6 

proper thickness 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

top grade and carry-home 5 1.4 1 0.2 6 0.8 

Several kinds of size in one package 5 1.3 5 0.6 

large size - - 1 0.3 1 0.1 

Ventilated 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

Tailored 2 0.5 - - 2 0.3 

with using guide 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

Total 398 364.7 399 388.1 797 376.4 

*the total percentage is over 100%,as it is multi-responded 



Table 2: The qualities sex workers favor in a condom, by type of sex work 

establishment 

Sauna/bath house night club/Hotel Bar/karaoke beauty-saloon street 

frequency % frequency % frequency % frequency % frequency % 

Free 1 1.2 2 2.3 2 1.3 20 4.8 4 7.3 

Low price 16 19.1 2 2.3 17 11.3 40 9.5 12 21.8 

Producer 4 4.8 3 3.4 11 7.3 24 5.7 1 1.8 

Brand 21 25.0 17 19.3 41 27.3 123 29.3 8 14.6 

Close location of place to buy 2 2.4 2 2.3 13 8.7 57 13.6 6 10.9 

Privacy at location to buy 2 2.4 9 10.2 10 6.7 38 9.1 6 10.9 

Package 16 19.1 12 13.6 29 19.3 74 17.6 12 21.8 

Foreign -made 3 3.6 5 5.7 6 4.0 29 6.9 3 5.5 

Strong 52 61.9 49 55.7 81 54.0 231 55.0 33 60.0 

Thick 14 16.7 9 10.2 13 8.7 51 12.1 8 14.6 

Tight 2 2.4 8 9.1 9 6.0 23 5.5 3 5.5 

Spring 18 21.4 26 29.6 48 32.0 109 26.0 12 21.8 

Vivid 15 17.9 16 18.2 24 16.0 64 15.2 8 14.6 

Smell well 36 42.9 35 39.8 70 46.7 180 42.9 20 36.4 

Lubricat ed 60 71.4 72 81.8 128 85.3 356 84.8 39 70.9 

Translucent 2 2.4 5 5.7 2 1.3 15 3.6 - - 

no lubrication - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

high price 3 3.6 1 1.1 5 3.3 13 3.1 5 9.1 

dotted or whorled 5 6.0 5 5.7 7 4.7 17 4.1 - - 

recommended by the boss - - 2 2.3 - - 1 0.2 - - 

Thin 25 29.8 26 29.6 32 21.3 99 23.6 8 14.6 

Comfy - - - - 3 2.0 1 0.2 - - 

no smell 2 2.4 - - 2 1.3 3 0.7 - - 

no dotted 2 2.4 - - 1 0.7 4 1.0 1 1.8 

Disinfectant 5 6.0 7 8.0 10 6.7 22 5.2 3 5.5 

Tiny 1 1.2 1 1.1 - - 1 0.2 1 1.8 

Medium - - - - - - 2 0.5 1 1.8 

reasonable price 2 2.4 2 2.3 1 0.7 1 0.2 - - 

rectangle inner-package 1 1.2 1 1.1 1 0.7 1 0.2 - - 

proper thickness 1 1.2 - - - - - - - - 

top grade and carry-home - - 1 1.1 3 2.0 1 0.2 - - 

several kinds of size in one 

package 

- - 1 1.1 - - 3 0.7 1 1.8 

large size - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

Ventilated - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

Tailored - - - - 1 0.7 1 0.2 - - 

with using guide - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

Total 84 370.2 88 362.5 150 380.0 420 382.9 55 354.6 

Note: the total percentage is over 100%,as it is multi-responded 


Table 3: The qualities sex workers favor in a condom, by age 


below 17 aged 17-18 aged 19-24 aged 25-29 above 29 


Free 2 13.6 3 2.5 17 3.8 10 5.6 - - 

Low price 1 4.6 3 2.5 46 10.6 17 10.1 10 21.5 

Producer - - 7 6.2 19 4.4 14 8.2 - - 

Brand 3 18.7 29 24.9 107 24.4 57 33.3 8 16.2 

Close location of place to buy 1 4.6 13 10.9 36 8.3 26 15.4 - - 

Privacy at location to buy - - 10 8.8 31 7.1 20 12.0 4 7.7 

Package 4 23.1 26 22.7 63 14.3 37 21.9 6 12.0 

Foreign-made - - 10 8.5 25 5.6 15 8.6 - - 

Strong 5 32.7 47 40.7 258 58.7 100 59.1 24 50.5 

Thick 3 19.4 13 11.0 41 9.3 19 11.0 8 17.6 

Tight - - 8 6.9 36 8.2 7 3.9 2 3.8 

Spring 2 13.6 26 22.5 124 28.3 53 31.4 13 27.7 

Vivid 1 4.5 15 13.3 83 19.0 22 12.9 4 8.7 

Smell well 6 39.1 50 43.8 203 46.1 59 34.5 14 29.8 

Lubricated 13 83.3 91 79.1 352 80.1 154 90.3 34 71.9 

Translucent - - 6 5.0 12 2.8 5 2.8 3 6.1 

no lubrication - - 1 0.6 - - - - - - 

high price - - 5 4.4 13 3.1 3 1.9 - - 

dotted or whorled 1 4.7 2 1.9 25 5.8 3 1.9 2 3.8 

recommended by the boss - - 3 2.4 1 0.3 2 1.3 - - 

Thin 4 26.6 27 23.6 104 23.5 49 28.6 10 21.5 

Comfy - - 1 0.6 3 0.6 - - - - 

no smell - - 1 0.9 5 1.2 1 0.5 - - 

no dotted 1 4.7 1 0.9 2 0.4 1 0.4 1 3.0 

Disinfectant 1 4.5 6 5.2 25 5.6 15 9.0 3 5.9 

Tiny - - 3 0.7 1 0.6 1 3.0 

Medium - - 1 0.6 2 0.4 - - - - 

Reasonable price - - - - 8 1.7 0 0.1 - - 

Rectangle inner-package - - - - 0 0.1 5 2.7 - - 

proper thickness - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

top grade and carry-home - - - - 5 1.1 1 0.8 - - 

several kinds of size in one 

package 

- - - - 3 0.7 2 1.2 - - 

large size - - - - 1 0.3 - - - - 

Ventilated - - - - 1 0.2 - - - - 

Tailored - - - - 2 0.5 - - - - 

with using guide - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Total 15 297.6 115 350.4 440 376.8 170 410.3 47 310.7 




II. 

Price 

1. Acceptable Price of 12-condom Package 

The acceptable price for condoms varied among the sex workers (Table 4). 

Generally speaking, the average maximum acceptable price was RMB 20.9 and the 

minimum was RMB 7.5. The Yunnan sex workers’ average maximum acceptable 

price was RMB 21.5, a bit higher than that of RMB 20.3 in Sichuan. 

The acceptable price varied among sex workers in different types of sex work 

establishments according to the classes that they belong to (Table 5). Those at 

sauna/bath houses led in both the average maximum and minimum acceptable prices, 

respectively at RMB 26.7 and RMB 9. And the street sex workers had the lowest 

acceptable average maximum and minimum prices, respectively at RMB 15.2 and 

RMB 5.8. 

The acceptable price varied among sex workers in different age groups (Table 6). Those 

at ages 19-24 led in both the average maximum and minimum acceptable prices, 

respectively at RMB 22.6 and RMB 7.9. And the sex workers above 30 had the lowest 

demand on average maximum and minimum acceptable prices, respectively at RMB 13 

and RMB 5.6. 

Table 4: The highest/lowest price sex workers are willing to pay for a package 

of 12 condoms, by province 

Yunnan 

Sichuan 

mean 21.5 20.3 

Median 16.0 15.0 

The highest price 

Std. Deviation 20.0 15.7 

minimum 2 5 

maximum 200 100 

mean 7.8 7.1 

Median 6.7 6.0 

The lowest price 

Std. Deviation 5.8 3.8 

minimum 0 0 

maximum 50 50 



Table 5: The highest/lowest price sex workers are willing to pay for a package 

of 12 condoms, by type of sex work establishment 

sauna/bath 

house 

night 

club/hotel 

Bar/karao 

ke 

beauty-saloon 

street 

mean 26.7 24.0 19.9 19.7 15.2 

Median 20.0 15.0 15.0 15.0 12.0 

The highest price 

Std. Deviation 19.1 24.3 16.7 14.3 9.1 

minimum 5 5 4 3 2 

maximum 100 200 100 100 60 

Mean 9.0 8.4 6.5 7.4 5.8 

Median 8.0 8.0 5.0 6.0 5.0 


Std. Deviation 8.4 5.3 3.3 4.8 3.5 

minimum 0 0 0 0 0 

maximum 50 40 20 50 18 

Table1 6: The highest/lowest price sex workers are willing to pay for a package 

of 12 condoms, by age 

16- 17-18 19-24 25-29 30+ 

mean 15.7 22.6 22.6 18.3 13.0 

Median 15.0 18.0 18.0 15.0 10.0 

the highest price 

Std. Deviation 10.3 17.7 19.9 14.2 10.0 

minimum 5 5 2 3 5 

maximum 50 100 200 100 80 

mean 6.2 7.6 7.9 6.9 5.6 

Median 6.0 7.0 7.0 5.0 5.0 


Std. Deviation 3.0 4.7 5.2 3.8 6.0 

minimum 0 0 0 0 0 

maximum 10 30 50 20 50 



Section IV. Where Sex Workers Purchase Their 

Condoms 

1. How Sex Workers Knew Where to Buy Condoms 

Female condom. Around one in four (24.6%) of the sex workers had heard of the 

female condom, an of those, 15.7% had ever used one (Tables 7 and 8 ). Very few 

sex workers knew where to obtain the female condom. Of those who knew where 

to get the female condom, most mentioned that they could get the female condom in 

drug stores (Table 9). Tables 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 show the breakdown of the 

knowledge and use of the female condom and knowledge of where to buy the female 

condom by type of sex work establishment and age. 

Table 7: Whether sex workers had ever heard of a female condom, by province 



Yes 88 21.9 111 27.2 199 24.6 

No 315 78.1 297 72.8 612 75.5 

Total 403 100.0 408 100.0 812 100.0 

Note: p≤0.076( ever heard of a female condom or not * province) 

Table 8: Whether sex workers had ever used a female condom, by province 



Yes 18 21.0 13 11.4 31 15.7 

No 59 67.3 96 86.3 155 77.9 

no response 10 11.8 3 2.3 13 6.5 

Total 88 100.0 111 100.0 199 100.0 

Note: p≤0.005( ever used a female condom or not * province 



Table 9: Knowledge of where to obtain female condoms among sex workers, by 

province 

Yunnan Sichuan total 


Pharmacy 16 95.7 5 55.7 21 81.0 

beauty-saloon/Sauna - - 0 2.1 0 0.8 

Vending machine - - 0 2.1 0 0.8 

Bar/karaoke/hotel 1 4.3 - - 1 2.7 

Shopping mall 2 12.9 1 15.7 4 13.9 

Small shop/supermarket 4 21.5 0 2.1 4 14.4 

Sex shop 8 48.2 3 29.4 11 41.3 

Family planning clinic 5 31.0 4 44.7 9 36.0 

paying client" 1 4.7 1 7.7 1 5.8 

private clinic 2 13.4 - - 2 8.5 

Total 16 231.6 9 159.4 26 205.1 


Table 10: Whether sex workers had ever heard of a female condom, by type of 

sex work establishment 


frequency % frequency % Frequency % frequency % frequency % 

Yes 34 39.5 16 17.8 47 30.3 107 25.2 11 20.0 

No 52 60.5 74 82.2 108 69.7 318 74.8 44 80.0 

total 86 100.0 90 100.0 155 100.0 425 100.0 55 100.0 

Note: p≤0.029( ever heard of a female condom or not * service place 



Table 11: Whether sex workers had ever used of a female condom, by type of sex 

work establishment 



Yes 5 14.7 4 25.0 8 17.0 14 13.1 3 27.3 

No 29 85.3 11 68.8 35 74.5 84 78.5 8 72.7 

no response - - 1 6.3 4 8.5 9 8.4 - - 

Total 34 100.0 16 100.0 47 100.0 107 100.0 11 100.0 

Note:( p≤0.591( ever used a female condom or not *service place 

Table 12: Knowledge among sex workers of where to obtain female condoms, 

by type of sex work establishment 



Pharmacy 4 80.0 3 100.0 4 50.0 9 81.8 3 100.0 

beauty-saloon/Sauna 1 20.0 - - - - - - - - 

Vending machine 1 20.0 - - - - - - - - 

Bar/karaoke/hotel - - - - - - 1 9.1 - - 

Shopping mall 2 40.0 - - - - 4 36.4 - - 

Small shop/supermarket 1 20.0 - - - - 5 45.5 - - 

Sex shop 3 60.0 2 66.7 3 37.5 5 45.5 - - 

Family planning clinic 4 80.0 1 33.3 5 62.5 2 18.2 1 33.3 

paying client" 1 20.0 - - 1 12.5 - - - - 

private clinic - - 1 33.3 - - - - - - 

Total 5 340.0 3 233.3 8 162.5 11 236.4 3 133.3 




Table 13: Whether sex workers had ever heard of a female condom, by age 



Yes 1 9.2 22 18.6 127 28.4 40 23.0 7 14.1 

No 14 90.8 96 81.4 320 71.6 134 77.0 40 85.9 

total 15 100.0 118 100.0 447 100.0 174 100.0 47 100.0 

Note: p≤0.049( ever heard of a female condom or not *age); 

Table 14: Whether sex workers had ever used a female condom, by age 



Yes - - 3 13.1 20 15.8 4 9.8 2 31.6 

No 1 100.0 17 77.3 99 78.1 33 82.5 5 68.4 

no response - - 2 9.6 8 6.1 3 7.7 - - 

Total 1 100.0 22 100.0 127 100.0 40 100.0 7 100.0 

Note: p≤0.191( ever used a female condom or not *age); 

Male condom. Virtually all of the sex workers had heard of the male condom and 

knew of a place to find them. The most frequently cited place to buy male condoms 

was pharmacy (96.3%), followed by family planning clinic (76.2%), supermarket 

(43.0%), beauty salon/sauna (40.0%) and sex shop (27.2%) (Table 15). Knowledge 

of where to obtain male condoms was similar across provinces, sex work 

establishments (Table 16), and by age (Table 17). 



Table 15: 

province 

Sex workers’ knowledge of where to obtain male condoms, by 



Pharmacy 364 96.5 377 96.1 741 96.3 

beauty-saloon/Sauna 146 38.7 162 41.2 308 40.0 

Vending machine 23 6.0 15 3.8 38 4.9 

Bar/karaoke/hotel 65 17.1 23 5.9 88 11.4 

Shopping mall 38 10.2 55 14.0 93 12.1 

Small shop/supermarket 176 46.7 154 39.3 330 43.0 

Sex shop 107 28.4 102 26.1 209 27.2 

Family planning clinic 286 75.8 300 76.5 586 76.2 

sales up to door 26 7.0 8 2.0 34 4.5 

Boss 2 0.6 19 4.8 21 2.7 

wholesale market - - 1 0.3 1 0.1 

epidemic prevention station - - 1 0.3 1 0.1 

private clinic' 28 7.4 2 0.6 31 4.0 

Total 377 334.4 392 310.9 769 322.4 




Table 16: Knowledge of where to obtain male condoms among sex workers, by 

type of sex work establishment 

Sauna/bath house 

night club/hotel 

night club 

Bar/karaoke 

beauty-saloon 

street 


Pharmacy 77 96.3 82 97.6 147 96.7 387 96.0 47 94.0 

beauty-saloon/Sauna 29 36.3 39 46.4 64 42.1 151 37.5 15 30.0 

Vending machine 5 6.3 5 6.0 7 4.6 19 4.7 2 4.0 

Bar/karaoke/hotel 15 18.8 10 11.9 13 8.6 46 11.4 8 16.0 

Shopping mall 9 11.3 7 8.3 24 15.8 54 13.4 4 8.0 

Small shop/supermarket 35 43.8 36 42.9 66 43.4 179 44.4 21 42.0 

Sex shop 21 26.3 21 25.0 39 25.7 123 30.5 10 20.0 

Family planning clinic 63 78.8 63 75.0 111 73.0 325 80.7 34 68.0 

sales up to door 3 3.8 1 1.2 5 3.3 27 6.7 4 8.0 

Boss - - 4 4.8 2 1.3 7 1.7 2 4.0 

wholesale market - - - - - - 1 0.3 - - 

epidemic prevention 

station 

- - - - - - 1 0.3 - - 

private clinic' 3 3.8 8 9.5 1 0.7 9 2.2 3 6.0 

total 80 325.0 84 328.6 152 315.1 403 329.8 50 300.0 




Table 17: Knowledge of sex workers of where to obtain male condoms, by age 



Pharmacy 13 98.5 105 96.5 405 95.5 163 97.5 45 98.4 

beauty-saloon/Sauna 6 41.5 35 32.6 168 39.5 80 47.9 18 39.1 

Vending machine 1 11.0 9 7.8 22 5.1 5 2.9 1 2.4 

Bar/karaoke/hotel 1 5.2 7 6.5 55 13.0 20 12.1 2 4.6 

Shopping mall 1 5.7 14 13.2 67 15.9 10 5.8 1 2.4 

Small 

shop/supermarket 

4 31.9 35 32.0 205 48.2 75 44.8 10 20.8 

Sex shop 2 15.9 37 33.9 105 24.7 51 30.3 10 22.8 

Family planning 

clinic 

11 78.7 76 69.8 331 78.0 135 80.6 25 53.7 

sales up to door - - 3 2.6 21 4.9 8 4.9 3 5.6 

Boss 3 20.3 5 4.2 13 3.1 1 0.4 - - 

wholesale market - - - - - - 1 0.7 - - 

epidemic prevention 

station 

- - - - 1 0.3 - - - - 

private clinic' 1 5.7 2 1.9 15 3.5 8 4.8 5 10.9 

total 13 314.4 109 301.0 425 331.5 167 332.4 46 260.7 




2. Where Sex Workers Tend to Purchase Condoms 

Generally speaking, the sex workers tended to buy condom in the following places: 

larger drugstores (33.6%), medium-sized drugstores (18.2%), regular places (17.2%), 

hospitals (12.3%) and sex shops (11.8%) (Table 18). The sex workers in both 

provinces gave similar responses as to where they purchased condoms. 

There was some difference in the places sex workers at different types of sex work 

establishments said they purchased condoms (Table 19). Over one-quarter (27.3%) 

of those at beauty saloons tended to buy condom at larger drugstores – a smaller 

percentage than those in other type of sex work establishments. Fewer than 7.1% of 

those in bar/karaoke clubs tended to buy condoms at medium-sized drugstores, with a 

lower percentage than those in other types of sex work establishments. 7.1% of those 

in bar/karaoke and 8.8% of those in nightclubs/hotels tended to buy condoms in 

hospitals, with lower percentages than those in other types of sex work establishments. 

One in ten (9.1%) of the street sex workers tended to buy condoms at sex shops, with 

a lower percentage than those in other types of sex work establishments. 

There existed divergence among sex workers in different age groups in where to buy 

condoms (Table 20). Nearly two in ten (18.6%) of those below age 16 tended to buy 

condoms at larger drugstore, with a lower percentage than those in other age groups. 

More than one in ten (11.7%) of those ages 17-18 tended to buy condoms at regular 

places, with a lower percentage than those in other age groups. Nearly one in ten 

(9.2%) of those ages 19-24 tended to buy condoms in hospitals and 16.1% of them 

tended to do so in medium-sized drugstores, with lower percentages than those in 

other age groups. Among the sex workers above age 30, 7.4% tended to buy condoms 

at sex shops, with lower percentage than those in other age groups. 



Table 18: Preferred place to purchase condoms for sex workers, by province 



Bigger pharmacy 121 30.6 147 36.6 268 33.6 

Medium pharmacy 73 18.4 72 18.0 145 18.2 

Special sex store 52 13.1 42 10.5 94 11.8 

Hospital 48 12.0 51 12.7 99 12.4 

Family planning station 1 0.2 9 2.2 10 1.2 

Chain store selling condoms 4 1.1 4 0.9 8 1.0 

familiar place 72 18.2 66 16.4 138 17.3 

delivering into door 7 1.7 - - 7 0.8 

top grade place 5 1.3 1 0.3 6 0.8 

fine place 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

medicine corporation 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

Boss 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

private clinic 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

privacy place 5 1.3 1 0.3 6 0.8 

supermarket 4 0.9 3 0.8 7 0.9 

wholesale market - - 3 0.7 3 0.4 

don’t know - - 3 0.7 3 0.3 

high credit standing 2 0.5 0 0.1 2 0.3 

I sell condoms myself 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

Total 395 100.0 402 100.0 797 100.0 




Table 19: Preferred place to purchase condoms for sex workers, by type of sex 


Sauna/bath 

house 

night club/hotel 

night club 

Bar/karaoke 

beauty-saloon 

street 


Bigger pharmacy 40 47.6 24 27.3 51 34.2 150 35.8 19 34.6 

Medium pharmacy 6 7.1 18 20.5 22 14.8 80 19.1 8 14.6 

Special sex store 11 13.1 8 9.1 21 14.1 56 13.4 6 10.9 

Hospital 6 7.1 15 17.1 25 16.8 37 8.8 7 12.7 

Family planning station - - 1 1.1 2 1.3 4 1.0 1 1.8 

Chain store selling 

condoms 

- - - - 2 1.3 8 1.9 - - 

familiar place 14 16.7 18 20.5 23 15.4 61 14.6 13 23.6 

delivering into door 3 3.6 - - - - 6 1.4 - - 

top grade place 1 1.2 1 1.1 1 0.7 2 0.5 - - 

fine place - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

medicine corporation - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

Boss - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

private clinic - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

privacy place 1 1.2 1 1.1 - - 4 1.0 - - 

Supermarket - - 1 1.1 - - 4 1.0 1 1.8 

wholesale market - - - - 1 0.7 2 0.5 

don’t know - - 1 1.1 - - - - - - 

high credit standing 2 2.4 - - 1 0.7 - - - - 

I sell condoms myself - - - - - - 1 0.2 - - 

Total 84 100.0 88 100.0 149 100.0 419 100.0 55 100.0 




Table 20: Preferred place to purchase condoms for sex workers, by age 



Bigger pharmacy 3 18.6 29 25.1 166 37.6 55 32.4 14 29.0 

Medium pharmacy 3 21.4 26 23.0 71 16.1 33 19.3 11 22.6 

Special sex store 1 9.1 14 12.4 56 12.8 17 9.9 3 7.4 

Hospital 4 23.3 27 24.1 41 9.2 18 10.8 6 13.2 

Family planning station 1 9.1 3 3.0 1 0.3 4 2.1 - - 

Chain store selling 

condoms 

- - 1 0.6 6 1.5 1 0.4 - - 

familiar place 2 14.0 13 11.7 77 17.5 33 19.3 10 20.9 

delivering into door - - - - 1 0.3 3 1.7 1 3.1 

top grade place - - - - 5 1.2 1 0.5 - - 

fine place - - - - 1 0.2 - - - - 

medicine corporation - - - - 1 0.2 - - - - 

Boss 1 4.5 - - - - - - - - 

private clinic - - - - 1 0.2 - - - - 

privacy place - - - - 4 0.8 2 1.5 - - 

Supermarket - - - - 3 0.7 4 2.1 - - 

wholesale market - - - - 2 0.4 - - 1 2.3 

don’t know - - - - 3 0.6 - - - - 

high credit standing - - - - 2 0.5 0 0.1 - - 

I sell condoms myself - - - - - - - - 1 1.5 

Total 15 100.0 114 100.0 440 100.0 171 100.0 47 100.0 


3. Condoms are Widely and Quickly Available to Sex Workers through an 

Extensive Sales Outlets System 

Seven in ten (69.7%) of the sex workers said that it is a five minutes’ walk from their 

working or living place to a condom sales outlet, with 71.2% in Yunnan and a bit 

lower, 68.3% in Sichuan (Table 21). 



Table 21: Time needed to obtain a condom close to home or work among sex 

workers, by province 



Less than five minutes 269 71.2 268 68.3 537 69.7 

5-10 minutes 71 18.9 79 20.2 151 19.6 

11-20 minutes 23 6.2 27 7.0 51 6.6 

21-30 minutes 11 2.8 7 1.7 17 2.2 

More than half an hour 4 0.9 8 2.0 11 1.5 

don’t know - - 3 0.8 3 0.4 

Total 378 100.0 393 100.0 770 100.0 

Note: p≤0.335(the time sex workers spending in obtaining a condom * province) 

Although the condom sales outlets system is extensive around sex work 

establishments, there were some differences among the places sampled (Table 22). 

For example, capital city 1, medium-sized city 3 and medium-sized city 6 had inferior 

systems when compared to other cities in this respect, respectively with 60.0%, 60.3% 

and 57.5% of sex workers within five minutes from obtaining a condom. 


workers in different places sampled 

provincial capital city 1 medium-size city1 medium-size city2 medium-size city3 medium-size city4 

Less 

five 

Minutes 

than 


96 60.0 46 74.5 88 81.8 38 60.2 60 79.6 

5-10 minutes 41 25.8 7 10.6 14 13.1 17 27.6 14 18.5 

11-20 minutes 17 10.5 4 6.2 3 3.0 3 5.6 1 .9 

21-30 minutes 1 .8 1 1.2 1 1.0 3 5.5 1 .9 

More than half 

an hour 

3 1.8 4 6.4 1 1.0 - - - - 

don’t know 2 1.1 1 1.2 - - 1 1.2 - - 

Total 160 100.0 62 100.0 108 100.0 63 100.0 75 100.0 




workers in different places sampled, continued 

Less than five 

Minutes 

provincial capital 

city2 

medium-size city5 medium-size city6 medium-size city7 medium-size city8 


98 68.8 60 72.7 16 57.4 15 76.4 20 66.1 

5-10 minutes 31 21.7 11 13.5 6 23.7 3 13.5 6 20.3 

11-20 minutes 9 6.0 6 7.6 4 14.2 2 10.0 2 6.8 

21-30 minutes 4 3.1 4 4.4 1 4.7 - - 1 2.3 

More than half 

An hour 

1 .5 1 1.7 - - - - 1 4.5 

don’t know - - - - - - - - - - 

Total 142 100.0 82 100.0 27 100.0 20 100.0 31 100.0 

Note: p≤0.043 

4. Sex Workers’ Attitudes towards Door-to-door Condom Sales 

In the qualitative supplementary investigation, sex workers were asked about the 

acceptability of door-to-door condom sales. Although most said they would accept 

door-to-door condom sales, they cared about price and quality. The sex workers said 

they tended to buy large quantities of condoms after comparison and use. The sex 

workers suggested that the condom salesmen should start with the gatekeepers in their 

sex work establishments. Some sex workers would follow gatekeepers’ suggestion 

in order to please them. 

They accepted the door-to-door method mainly for convenience and avoidance of 

embarrassment when buying condoms in drugstores. Some considered it a shameful 

thing to buy condoms in drugstores, and door-to-door sales would help them avoid 

such discomfort. However, some sex workers were more likely to reject 

door-to-door condom sales for fear of economic damage incurred from large purchase 

of condom with an unfamiliar brand or poor quality. 

Descriptions of acceptance of the door-to-door method included: “I feel ashamed to 

buy condom in shops sometimes.” “I feel ashamed to buy condom nearby, but better if 

someone sells door-to-door.” Descriptions of non-acceptance of the door-to-door 

method: “We doubt its quality.” “We are afraid of losses from buying fake goods.” 



Section 4. Sex Workers’ Choice of Condom Brands 

1. Degree of Brand Recognition 

When selecting condoms, 70% of the sex workers paid special attention to brand, 

production date and valid period, but only 40% of them cared about the place of 

origin (Table 23). Eight in ten (80.9%) of the sex workers in sauna/bath houses 

cared more about quality than valid period (69.1%) and production date (69.1%), 

leading their counterparts in other types of establishments this respect (Table 24). 

Three-quarters (76%) of the sex workers ages 25-29 paid special attention to brand, 

with higher percentage than their counterparts in other age groups (Table 25). 

Table 23: Factors of interest about condoms among sex workers, by province 


Frequency % frequency % frequency % 

Valid period 233 71.8 247 79.1 480 75.4 

Producing date 248 76.5 242 77.5 490 77.0 

Brand 249 76.8 216 69.2 465 73.1 

Producing area 119 36.6 97 31.0 216 33.9 

Total 325 261.7 312 256.9 637 259.3 


Table 24: Factors of interest about condoms among sex workers, by type of sex 


Sauna/bath house night club/Hotel Bar/karaoke beauty-saloon Street 


Valid period 47 69.1 56 78.9 94 76.4 245 71.2 28 80.0 

Producing date" 47 69.1 59 83.1 97 78.9 248 72.1 28 80.0 

Brand 55 80.9 51 71.8 80 65.0 269 78.2 21 60.0 

Producing area 27 39.7 33 46.5 33 26.8 99 28.8 11 31.4 

Total 68 258.8 71 280.3 123 247.2 344 250.3 35 251.4 




Table 25: Factors of interest about condoms among sex workers, by age 



Valid period 9 67.1 66 77.9 270 74.0 102 77.3 27 77.7 

Producing date" 10 72.6 65 76.6 285 78.3 101 76.0 24 68.5 

Brand 9 70.5 61 72.0 262 72.1 101 76.0 26 73.9 

Producing area 4 27.1 27 32.2 121 33.3 44 33.6 14 40.2 

Total 13 237.2 85 258.5 364 257.7 132 262.9 35 260.4 


2. Favorite Condom Brands 

A multitude of condom brands are sold in China, as reflected in the tables on favorite 

condom brands among the sex workers. About 58.3% of both Yunnan and Sichuan sex 

workers had favorite condom brands (Table 26). However, for street sex workers and 

those above age 30 no particular brand stood out as the favorite (Table 27 and 28). 

Among others, “Strong Man,” “Ausny” and “True Man” were popular in both 

provinces. According to statistics, these brands accounted for 60% of the preferred 

brands among sex workers. Generally speaking, the top brands were: “True Man” 

(29.8%), “Strong Man” (20.2%), “Ausny” (15.3%), “Durex” (2.9%) and “Angel” 

(2.1%) (Table 29). More Sichuan sex workers were fond of “Strong Man” while 

more of their Yunnan counterparts liked “Ausny.” However, the other brands had 

almost the same popularity in both provinces. 

Of the top 5 brands, 33.3% of the street sex workers liked “Ausny,” and 4.8% of them 

liked “Angel,” at higher percentages than those in other types of sex work facilities 

(Table 30). Over one in ten (12.5%) of those at sauna centers liked “Durex,” at a 

higher percentage than those in other service industries. 

Of the top 5 brands, 68.8% of the sex workers below age 16 liked “Strong Man,” at a 

bit higher percentage than those in other age groups (Table 31). One-quarter (23.8%) 

of those above 30 and 20.1% of those below 16 liked “Ausny,” at higher percentages 

than those in other age groups. But the “Durex” supporters were in the age group of 

19-29. 



Table26: Whether sex workers had a favorite condom brand, by province 



Yes 234 57.9 240 58.8 474 58.3 

No 

162 40.2 165 40.4 327 40.3 

don’t know 3 .7 4 .9 6 .8 

no response 5 1.2 0 .0 5 .6 

total 403 100.0 408 100.0 812 100.0 

Note: p≤0.157( having a favorite condom brand or not * province) 

Table 27: Whether sex workers had a favorite condom brand, by type of sex 




Yes 56 65.1 49 54.4 78 50.3 280 65.9 21 38.2 

No 28 32.6 39 43.3 75 48.4 142 33.4 32 58.2 

don’t know 2 2.3 1 1.1 1 .6 1 .2 2 3.6 

No response 0 .0 1 1.1 1 .6 2 .5 0 .0 

Total 86 100.0 90 100.0 155 100.0 425 100.0 55 100.0 

Note: p≤0.002( having favorite Brand * service place) 

Table 28: Whether sex worker have a favorite condom brand, by age 



Yes 11 69.8 63 53.6 265 59.3 105 60.2 21 44.3 

No 5 30.2 53 44.7 177 39.5 65 37.4 26 55.7 

don’t know - - 1 .6 2 .5 3 2.0 - - 

No response - - 1 1.1 3 .6 1 .4 - - 

Total 15 100.0 118 100.0 447 100.0 174 100.0 47 100.0 

Note: p≤0.544( having favorite condom Brand * age) 



Table 29: Comparison of favorite condom brands for sex workers, by province 



Double Butterfly - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Bullbat 2 0.9 1 0.5 3 0.7 

Zhennanren 3 1.2 3 1.4 6 1.3 

True man 63 27.1 78 32.5 141 29.8 

Haonanren - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Strong man 17 7.2 79 32.8 96 20.2 

Noctume 4 1.8 1 0.5 5 1.1 

Yagie 3 1.4 3 0.7 

Ausny 50 21.6 22 9.2 73 15.3 

Durex 8 3.3 6 2.5 14 2.9 

Beautiful queen 1 0.6 - - 1 0.3 

Want to fly - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Tianshi 5 2.1 5 2.0 10 2.1 

Baoma 4 1.8 5 2.3 10 2.0 

Angle 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Shuixing - - 2 0.8 2 0.4 

Yili - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Xinshangren 4 1.8 5 1.9 9 1.8 

Xiangfei - - 2 0.8 2 0.4 

Xiongqi - - 0 0.1 0 0.0 

Flower Protector 4 1.8 1 0.5 5 1.1 

Mengnv 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

DKT 3 1.5 - - 3 0.7 

Xinyi 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Lover 1 0.6 - - 1 0.3 

Jishibang 3 1.5 2 0.8 5 1.1 



Table 29: Comparison of favorite condom brands for sex workers, by province, 

continued 



Haonanren 1 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.3 

Meirenyu 3 1.2 - - 3 0.6 

Qianxiqing 9 3.9 - - 9 1.9 

Yeyuanyang 2 0.9 1 0.5 3 0.7 

Yelaixiang - - 0 0.2 0 0.1 

Yudie 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Flower Angel 3 1.3 3 1.1 6 1.2 

Night 2 0.9 1 0.3 3 0.6 

Drawberry 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Rose lover 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Pinganshizhe 1 0.6 - - 1 0.3 

Mudan 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Xiaowangzi - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Xiananni - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Mengyinyuan 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Jinsebannv 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Qingxiangyi - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Dulex - - 1 0.6 1 0.3 

Aodi - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Xiaotianxin - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Anquanyongshi - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Mengzhongqingren 7 2.8 - - 7 1.4 

Aifu 1 0.6 - - 1 0.3 

Aili 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Good lover 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Lilishi 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 



Table 29: Comparison of favorite condom brands for sex workers, by province, 

continued 



Shuanghe 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

Xiaoyeyi 1 0.3 0 0.1 1 0.2 

Yijianzhongqing 

- - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Longge - - 1 0.5 1 0.2 

Pinganye 3 1.2 - - 3 0.6 

Qingrensan 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

don’t know 12 5.1 4 1.8 16 3.4 

no response 4 1.9 2 0.8 6 1.3 

Total 234 100.0 240 100.0 474 100.0 

Note: p≤0.000( favorite Brand * province) 



Table 30: favorite brands for sexual workers in different service place 



Double Butterfly - - - - - - 1 0.4% - - 

Bullbat - - - - 4 1.4 - - 

Zhennanren 2 3.6 - - 2 2.6 4 1.4 - - 

True man 15 26.8 16 32.7 15 19.2 92 32.9 4 19.1 

Haonanren - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Strong man 9 16.1 5 10.2 17 21.8 63 22.5 2 9.5 

Noctume - - 1 2.0 - - 4 1.4 - - 

Yagie - - 1 2.0 1 1.3 - - - - 

Ausny 7 12.5 8 16.3 12 15.4 40 14.3 7 33.3 

Durex 7 12.5 1 2.0 3 3.9 6 2.1 - - 

Beautiful queen 1 1.8 - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Want to fly - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Angle 1 1.8 1 2.0 3 3.9 5 1.8 1 4.8 

Baoma - - - - 4 5.1 6 2.1 1 4.8 

Tianshi - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Shuixing - - - - 1 1.3 1 0.4 - - 

Yili - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Xinshangren - - 1 2.0 2 2.6 5 1.8 - - 

Xiangfei - - - - 1 1.3 1 0.4 - - 

Xiongqi 1 1.8 - - - - - - - - 

Flower Protector - - - - - - 6 2.1 1 4.8 

Mengnv 1 1.8 - - - - - - - - 

DKT - - 1 2.0 1 1.3 - - - - 

Xonyi 1 1.8 - - - - - - - - 

Qinglv - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Jishibang 1 1.8 - - 2 2.6 2 0.7 1 4.8 

Nanren - - - - 1 1.3 1 0.4 - - 

Meirenyu - - 1 2.0 - - 1 0.4 - - 

Qianxiqing - - 1 2.0 1 1.3 8 2.9 - - 

Yeyuanyang - - 1 2.0 - - 1 0.4 - - 

Yelaixiang 2 3.6 - - - - - - - - 



Table 30: favorite brands for sexual workers in different service place, 

continued 



Yudie - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Flower Angel 1 1.8 2 4.1 - - - - - - 

Night - - - - 1 1.3 3 1.1 - - 

Strawberry - - - - - - - - 1 4.8 

Rose lover - - - - - - - - 1 4.8 

Pinganshizhe 1 1.8 - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Fudan - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Xiaowangzi - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Xiananni - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Mengyiyuan 1 1.8 - - - - - - - - 

Jinsebanlv - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Qingxiangyi - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Dulex - - - - 2 2.6 - - - - 

Aodi - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Xiaotianxin - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Anquanyongshi - - - - 1 1.3 - - - - 

Mengzhongqingr 

en 

- - 3 6.1 - - - - - - 

Aifu - - - - - - 2 0.7 - - 

Aili - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Haoqingren - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Lilishi 1 1.8 - - - - - - - - 

Shuanghe - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Xiaoyeyi 2 3.6 - - - - - - - - 

Yijianzhongqing - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Longge - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

Pinganye - - 1 2.0 1 0.4 - - 

Qingrensan - - - - - - 1 0.4 - - 

don’t know 2 3.6 3 6.1 2 2.6 6 2.1 2 9.5 

no response - - 2 4.1 1 1.3 1 0.4 - - 

Total 56 100.0 49 100.0 78 100.0 280 100.0 21 100.0 

Note: p≤0.000( favorite Brand * service place) 



Table 31: Favorite condom brands for sex workers, by age 



Zhennanren - - - - 1 .79 1 3.97 - - 

True man 1 30.3 11 48.1 32 36.5 14 44.2 3 39.0 

Ausny - - 1 3.1 15 16.8 4 12.6 1 16.2 

Strong man 1 23.0 1 6.4 16 17.5 6 18.4 1 12.5 

Flower Protector - - 1 6.3 2 2.0 - - - - 

Durex - - - - 2 2.3 1 4.6 - - 

Xinshangren 1 23.8 1 3.1 - - 3 8.3 - - 

Xiangfei - - - - 3 3.7 1 2.2 - - 

Xiaotianxin - - 1 6.5 - - - - - - 

Yebaihe - - - - 4 4.6 - - - - 

Baoma - - 1 3.1 2 2.0 - - - - 

Yeyuanyang - - 0 0.9 1 1.2 - - - - 

Angle - - - - - - - - 3 32.3 

Qingheyi - - - - 1 1.2 - - - - 

Dulex - - 1 3.2 - - - - - - 

Jisheng - - 1 4.8 - - - - - - 

Noctume - - - - 3 3.3 - - - - 

Pepice - - - - 1 0.8 - - - - 

Tianshi - - 3 14.6 2 2.4 - - - - 

Daniel - - - - - - 1 3.3 - - 

Flower Angel - - - - 4 4.3 - - - - 

Dream - - - - - - 1 4.3 - - 

Haonanren - - - - - - 1 2.2 - - 

Virgor - - - - 1 0.8 - - - - 

Aili - - - - 1 0.8 - - - - 

Bullbat 1 23.0 - - - - - - - - 

Good lover 1 3.1 - - - - - - 

Qianxiqing 1 23.0 1 3.1 - - 1 2.2 - - 

Yuedie - - - - - - 1 2.2 - - 

DKT - - - - 2 2.5 - - - - 





Yelaixiang - - - - - - 0 0.6 - - 

Night - - - - 2 2.4 - - - - 

Pinganye - - - - 2 2.5 - - - - 

Qingrensan - - - - 1 0.8 - - - - 

Total 3 123.0 22 106.4 89 109.1 33 108.9 9 100.0 


The research findings indicated that the sex workers usually bought their favorite 

brands. In cross-tab analysis, the researchers learnt that the favorite condom brands 

usually constituted those the sex workers also most wanted to purchase. Data 

indicated that the brands with the most agreement in favorite, want and purchase 

included “Fragrant Princess,” “Flower Fairy” and “Rare Horse.” Then came “Strong 

Man,” “Ausny” and “Durex” (Table 32) 

Table 32: Cross tabulation of condom brands the sex workers wanted to get 

before purchase with their favorite brands 

Favorite Brand 

True man Strong man Ausny Durex tianshi Xiangfei Noctume 

Flower 

Angel 

baoma 

Flower 

Protector 

% % % % % % % % % % 

True man 97.6 23.4 9.6 16.5 - - - - - - 

Strong man 6.4 76.6 - - - - 27.4 - - - 

Ausny 1.6 - 94.2 8.2 - - - - - - 

Durex - 4.8 1.1 91.8 - - - - - - 

Tianshi - - - - 53.6 - - - - - 

Xiangfei 1.6 - 8.6 - - 100 - - - - 

Noctume - - - - - - 72.6 - - - 

Flower 

Angel 

- - - - - - - 100.0 - - 

Baoma - - - - 11.6 - - - 100.0 28.2 

Flower 

Protector 

- - - - 11.6 - - - - 71.8 



Section 6 Sex Workers’ Appraisal of the Appearance 

of “Double Butterfly” Condom 

Part of this study included an assessment by sex workers of the socially-marketed 

condom, “Double Butterfly,” designed specifically for the Condom Social Marketing 

Program of the China-UK AIDS Prevention and Control Project. 

? . More Acceptance of Outside Package 

1. Outside package of butterfly condom is welcomed by sexual workers 

Design of Butterfly Constituted the Main Reason for Popularity of Outside 

Package 

Generally speaking, 34.8% of the sex workers recognized the inside product as a 

condom from their judgment of the outside package without any prompting 

(Table213). Almost 89.6% of the sex workers in both Sichuan and Yunnan 

provinces liked the outside package (Table 34). 

Half (51.2%) of the sex workers at sauna/bath houses recognized the inside product as 

a condom from their judgment of the outside package without any prompts from 

others, a higher percentage than those in other types of sex work establishments 

(Table 35). Fully 92.6% of the street sex workers said that they were fond of the 

outside package, a slightly higher percentage than those in other types of sex work 

establishment (Table 36). 

Half (49.9%) of the sex workers above age 30 recognized the inside product as a 

condom from their judgment of the outside package without any prompts from others, 

a higher percentage than those in other age groups (Table 37). Fully 93.1% of the 

sex workers ages 17-18 said that they were fond of the outside package, a somewhat 

higher percentage than those in other age groups (Table 38). 



Table 33: Unprompted knowledge of what a Double-Butterfly Condom was on 

first sight among sex workers, by province 



Yes 150 37.3 116 32.0 267 34.8 

No 252 62.7 246 67.6 499 65.0 

no response - - 1 0.4 1 0.2 

Total 403 100.0 364 100.0 767 100.0 

Note: p≤0.179( sex workers know what it is or not *province) 

Table 34: Whether sex workers like the package of the Double-Butterfly 

Condom, by province 



Yes 362 89.9 324 89.3 686 89.6 

No 39 9.6 37 10.2 76 9.9 

no response 2 0.5 2 0.5 4 0.5 

Total 403 100.0 363 100.0 765 100.0 

Note: p≤0.966( like the Package of Double-Butterfly Condom or not*province) 


first sight among sex workers, by type of sex work establishment 



Yes 44 51.2 26 29.9 67 44.7 123 31.2 23 41.8 

No 42 48.8 61 70.1 83 55.3 271 68.8 31 56.4 

no response - - - - - - - - 1 1.8 

Total 86 100.0 87 100.0 150 100.0 394 100.0 55 100.0 

Note: p≤0.000( Do sex workers know what it is or not *service place) 




Condom, by type of sex work establishment 



Yes 78 90.7 77 88.5 129 86.0 358 90.9 50 92.6 

No 8 9.3 10 11.5 19 12.7 34 8.6 4 7.4 

no response - - - - 2 1.3 2 0.5 - - 

Total 86 100.0 87 100.0 150 100.0 394 100.0 54 100.0 

p≤0.538( sex workers like the Package of the Double-Butterfly Condom or not *service place) 


first sight among sex workers, by age 



Yes 3 20.4 29 26.4 151 35.9 56 33.9 22 49.9 

No 12 79.6 82 73.6 270 64.1 109 66.1 21 47.0 

no response - - - - - - - - 1 3.1 

Total 15 100.0 111 100.0 421 100.0 165 100.0 45 100.0 

Note: p≤0.002( Do sex workers know what it is or not *age) 


Condom, by age 



Yes 14 88.4 104 93.1 369 87.8 152 92.2 39 89.3 

No 2 11.6 8 7.0 48 11.5 12 7.4 5 10.7 

no response - - - - 3 0.7 1 0.4 - - 

Total 15 100.0 111 100.0 421 100.0 165 100.0 44 100.0 

Note: p≤0.899( sex workers like the Package of the Double-Butterfly Condom or not *age) 



2. Design of Butterfly Constituted the Main Reason for Popularity of Outside 

Package 

The package of the “Double Butterfly” condom has a green background with a yellow 

butterfly design. Around one-quarter (23.3%) of the sex workers liked the outside 

package of “Double Butterfly” due to the pattern of the butterfly, 16.1% of them liked 

it for its small size and portable characteristics, 13.1% liked it for its uniqueness, 

12.5% liked it that it did not look like a condom and 12.4% liked it for its elegance 

(Table 39). Both the Sichuan and Yunnan sex workers and sex workers in different 

types of sex work facilities (Table 40) shared almost the same opinions about the 

packaging of the “Double Butterfly.” 

The highest percentage (24.1%) of the sex workers below age 16 liked the outside 

package for its elegance. A higher percentage of sex workers above age 30 

compared to other age groups were likely to like the outside package due to its small 

size and portable characteristic(Table 41). 

Table 39: Reasons sex workers like the package of Double -Butterfly condom, by 

province 



Distinctive 45 12.9 41 13.3 86 13.1 

Romantic 4 1.0 5 1.5 8 1.2 

Lovely 4 1.2 19 6.2 23 3.5 

Waterproof 1 0.4 - - 1 0.2 

the color and the butterfly are a perfect match 9 2.4 15 5.0 24 3.6 

the package isn’t like a condom 44 12.5 39 12.5 83 12.5 

tiny, easy to carry 57 16.3 49 15.9 106 16.1 

the butterfly is beautiful 90 25.7 63 20.5 154 23.3 

The package is tailor-made 49 14.1 33 10.6 82 12.4 

the green color is beautiful 34 9.6 32 10.5 66 10.0 

feel safe 7 2.0 7 2.3 14 2.1 

with high quality 7 2.0 5 1.8 13 1.9 

the name is very good - - - 0.1 0 0.0 

Total 352 100.0 309 100.0 660 100.0 

Note: p≤0.06( Why sex workers like the Package of Double-Butterfly Condom *province) 



Table 40: Reasons sex workers like the package of Double-Butterfly condom, by type of 

sex work establishment 



Distinctive 8 10.3 10 13.5 9 7.4 54 15.5 5 10.4 

Romantic 2 2.6 - - 3 2.5 6 1.7 - - 

Lovely 3 3.9 1 1.4 4 3.3 12 3.5 5 10.4 

Waterproof - - - - 1 0.8 - - - - 

the color and the butterfly 

are a perfect match 

5 6.4 3 4.1 5 4.1 9 2.6 2 4.2 

the package isn’t like a 

condom 

8 10.3 8 10.8 14 11.6 49 14.1 6 12.5 

tiny, easy to carry 11 14.1 14 18.9 19 15.7 51 14.7 6 12.5 

the butterfly is beautiful 15 19.2 20 27.0 28 23.1 79 22.7 12 25.0 

The package is tailor-made 9 11.5 13 17.6 18 14.9 34 9.8 6 12.5 

the green color is beautiful 9 11.5 4 5.4 16 13.2 41 11.8 3 6.3 

feel safe 3 3.9 1 1.4 3 2.5 5 1.4 2 4.2 

with high quality 4 5.1 - - 1 0.8 8 2.3 1 2.1 

the name is very good 1 1.3 - - - - - - - - 

Total 78 100.0 74 100.0 121 100.0 348 100.0 48 100.0 

Note: p≤0.017( Why sex workers like the Package of Double-Butterfly Condom? *service place) 

Table 41: Reasons sex workers like the package of Double -Butterfly condom, by age 



Distinctive 2 18.2 12 12.4 44 12.1 24 16.4 5 12.7 

Romantic - - 2 2.2 5 1.3 1 1.0 - - 

Lovely 1 8.0 2 2.2 9 2.6 8 5.6 3 7.3 

Waterproof - - - - 1 0.4 - - - - 

the color and the butterfly 

are a perfect match 

the package isn’t like a 

condom 

- - 3 3.6 14 3.9 3 2.2 2 5.7 

1 16.9 14 14.6 41 11.5 17 11.8 8 21.4 

tiny, easy to carry 1 8.0 15 15.8 62 17.2 21 14.3 6 16.7 

the butterfly is beautiful 1 16.9 17 17.7 89 24.8 33 22.4 8 21.4 

The package is tailor-made 2 24.1 12 12.1 50 13.8 12 8.4 4 10.2 

the green color is beautiful - - 14 14.3 35 9.7 15 10.4 2 4.7 

feel safe 1 8.0 4 4.3 4 1.0 6 3.8 - - 

with high quality - - 1 0.8 6 1.7 6 3.9 - - 

the name is very good - - - - 0 0.1 - - - - 

Total 9 100.0 96 100.0 360 100.0 148 100.0 38 100.0 

Note: p≤0.617( Why sex workers like the Package of Double-Butterfly Condom?*age) 



II. Colors of “Double Butterfly” Condom 

1. More Acceptance of Original Color 

One-quarter (25.7%) of the sex workers in both provinces said that they liked the 

green and that it did not need to change (Table 42). One-third (32.7%) of the street 

sex workers said that they liked the green color that and that it did not need to change, 

a higher percentage than those in other service industries (Table 43). Nearly one in 

five (18.2%) of the sex workers below 16 said that they liked the green color and that 

it did not need to change, a higher percentage than those in other age groups (Table 

44). 

2. Red was the Most Recommended Alternative 

Generally speaking, 24.0% of the sex workers said that the color of the packaging 

could be changed to red, 14% said that it could be changed into pink, 9.05% said that 

it could be changed into blue and 7.54% said that it could be changed into white 

(Table 45). 

Among the sex workers in different types of sex work facilities, 28.9% of the street 

sex workers said that it could be changed into red, with higher percentage than those 

in types of sex work facilities (Table 46). One in five (21.8%) of the sex workers at 

sauna/bath houses said that it could be changed into pink, with higher percentage than 

those in other types of sex work establishments. And 9.4% of the sex workers at 

Bars/karaoke clubs said that it could be changed into white, with higher percentage 

than those in other types of sex work establishments. 

Among the sex workers of different ages, the highest percentage (40.3%) of the sex 

workers above age 30 said that it could be changed into red, with higher percentage 

than those in other age groups (Table 47). One in three (30.4%) of the sex workers 

below age 16 said that it could be changed into pink, with higher percentage than 

those in other age groups. And 11.9% of the sex workers at 19-24 said that it could 

be changed into blue, with higher percentage than those in other age groups. 



Table 42: Which color would sex workers choose if changing the color of the 

“Double Butterfly” condom package, by province 



Red 96 24.3 79 23.7 175 24.0 

Orange 8 2.0 9 2.6 17 2.3 

Blue 41 10.3 30 9.0 71 9.7 

White 33 8.3 28 8.4 61 8.3 

needn ’t to change 98 24.8 89 26.7 187 25.7 

Cauliflower red 1 0.2 1 0.2 1 0.2 

Pink 56 14.1 46 13.8 102 14.0 

Yellowy 14 3.5 4 1.3 18 2.5 

Purple 15 3.7 14 4.2 29 3.9 

Colorized 2 0.6 3 1.0 5 0.7 

Coffee 1 0.2 1 0.3 2 0.2 

Yellow 5 1.4 7 2.2 13 1.8 

Rosiness 4 1.1 3 0.8 7 1.0 

Grey 2 0.5 - - 2 0.3 

Black 3 0.7 4 1.2 7 0.9 

Silver 1 0.3 - - 1 0.2 

chalk white 1 0.2 1 0.2 1 0.2 

Golden 3 0.7 0 0.1 3 0.4 

Fleshcolor 3 0.7 - - 3 0.4 

rose color 1 0.2 - - 1 0.1 

Other 6 1.6 10 2.9 16 2.2 

don’t know 2 0.5 2 0.5 4 0.5 

no response 1 0.2 3 0.9 4 0.5 

Total 395 100.0 333 100.0 728 100.0 

Note: p≤0.685( Which color would sex workers choose*province) 




“Double Butterfly” condom package, by type of sex work establishment 



Red 15 19.2 24 27.9 31 22.3 83 22.3 15 28.9 

Orange - - 2 2.3 4 2.9 9 2.4 1 1.9 

Blue 10 12.8 11 12.8 9 6.5 36 9.7 1 1.9 

White 3 3.9 7 8.1 13 9.4 32 8.6 3 5.8 

Green 19 24.4 19 22.1 32 23.0 106 28.5 17 32.7 

Cauliflower red - - - - 1 0.7 - - 1 1.9 

Pink 17 21.8 13 15.1 19 13.7 46 12.4 4 7.7 

Yellowy 3 3.9 2 2.3 4 2.9 6 1.6 3 5.8 

Purple 5 6.4 2 2.3 10 7.2 12 3.2 4 7.7 

Colorized 1 1.3 - - - - 5 1.3 - - 

Coffee 1 1.3 - - 1 0.7 1 0.3 - - 

Yellow - - - - 2 1.4 12 3.2 - - 

Rosiness 1 1.3 1 1.2 2 1.4 4 1.1 - - 

Grey - - - - 1 0.7 1 0.3 - - 

Black - - 1 1.2 1 0.7 4 1.1 - - 

Silver - - - - 1 0.7 - - - - 

chalk white - - - - 1 0.7 1 0.3 - - 

Golden 1 1.3 1 1.2 - - 1 0.3 - - 

Fleshcolor - - 1 1.2 - - - - 1 1.9 

rose color - - - - - - 1 0.3 - - 

Other 1 1.3 2 2.3 4 2.9 7 1.9 1 1.9 

don’t know - - - - 1 0.7 4 1.1 - - 

no response 1 1.3 - - 2 1.4 1 0.3 1 1.9 

Total 78 100.0 86 100.0 139 100.0 372 100.0 52 100.0 

Note: p≤0.442( Which color would sex workers choose *service place) 




“Double Butterfly” condom package, by age 



Red 1 5.0 38 35.4 77 19.2 39 24.8 16 40.3 

Orange - - - - 10 2.4 4 2.5 3 7.3 

Blue - - 6 5.6 48 11.9 16 10.1 1 3.6 

White 2 12.7 11 10.2 39 9.8 8 5.2 1 1.8 

needn ’t to change 3 20.8 22 20.7 99 24.7 50 31.9 10 24.9 

Cauliflower red - - - - 1 0.4 - - - - 

Pink 4 30.4 10 9.5 64 16.0 17 10.4 6 14.7 

Yellowy 1 5.2 5 5.1 7 1.7 5 3.2 - - 

Purple - - 6 6.0 16 4.1 5 3.0 - - 

Colorized - - 2 1.7 4 0.9 - - - - 

Coffee - - - - 0 0.1 1 0.9 - - 

Yellow - - 2 2.0 9 2.2 2 1.1 - - 

Rosiness 1 5.2 1 0.9 4 1.0 1 0.4 1 1.8 

Grey - - - - 2 0.5 - - - - 

Black - - - - 3 0.7 4 2.5 - - 

Silver - - - - 1 0.3 - - - - 

chalk white - - - - 1 0.4 - - - - 

Golden - - - - 3 0.8 - - - - 

Fleshcolor - - - - 2 0.5 1 0.4 - - 

rose color - - - - 1 0.2 - - - - 

Other 3 20.7 2 1.9 6 1.5 5 3.2 - - 

don’t know - - 1 1.0 1 0.4 1 0.4 1 1.8 

no response - - - - 2 0.6 - - 1 3.6 

Total 14 100.0 107 100.0 401 100.0 158 100.0 39 100.0 

Note: p≤0.207( Which color would sex workers choose *age) 



III. Appraisal of the Inside Package of “Double Butterfly” Condom 

1. More Acceptance of Inside Package 

Generally speaking, 38% of the sex workers accepted the inside packaging of the 

condom, with 33.8% in Sichuan and a higher 42.1% in Yunnan (Table 45). Only 

30.7% of the sex workers at night clubs/hotels accepted the inside package, with a 

lower percentage than those in other types of sex work establishments (Table 46). 

Only 34.8% of the sex workers ages 19-24 accepted the inside package, with a lower 

percentage than those in other age groups (Table 47). 

2. Some Would Prefer a Smaller Inside Package 

Generally speaking, 19.9% of the sex workers complained that the inside package was 

too large and not easy to carry, while 4% of them believed that oblong would be better 

(Table 48). One in three (29.3%) of the sex workers at night clubs/hotels 

complained about the larger size of the inside package, with a higher percentage than 

those in other types of sex work facilities (Table 49). One-quarter (23.1%) of the sex 

workers ages 19-24 companied about the larger size of the inside package, with a 

higher percentage than those in other age groups (Table 50). 



Table 45: Comments of sex workers on the inside package of the 

“Double-Butterfly” condom, by province 



the translucent is the better 7 2.2 5 1.5 12 1.8 

Quite good 139 42.1 110 33.8 248 38.0 

no good 23 6.9 26 8.0 49 7.4 

it is too big to carry easily 70 21.3 60 18.5 130 19.9 

too colory 4 1.3 5 1.7 10 1.5 

should be marked with valid period - - 5 1.4 5 0.7 

Okay 42 12.8 58 17.8 100 15.3 

the longer package is the better 15 4.5 12 3.6 26 4.0 

The package material is not good 1 0.2 1 0.2 1 0.2 

Very strong 1 0.2 14 4.4 15 2.3 

Elegant 2 0.6 1 0.5 3 0.5 

should be changed to pink 4 1.3 2 0.7 6 1.0 

should be packed into several small packages 4 1.1 5 1.6 9 1.4 

should have excitant design 3 0.9 1 0.4 4 0.7 

a little special 1 0.2 2 0.7 3 0.4 

the color is not good 1 0.2 4 1.1 4 0.7 

hard to undo - - 3 0.9 3 0.4 

????Package - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

too stiff 5 1.5 1 0.3 6 0.9 

looks like being of high grade 9 2.6 1 0.3 10 1.5 

the outside color and the inside color should match - - 3 0.9 3 0.4 

the green color is not good - - 1 0.3 1 0.2 

Don’t know 1 0.2 3 1.1 4 0.6 

Total 330 100.0 324 100.0 654 100.0 

Note: p≤0.002( comments on the inside package of Double-Butterfly Condom *province) 




“Double-Butterfly” condom, by type of sex work establishment 



the translucent is the better - - 3 4.0 - - 5 1.5 1 2.1 

Quite good 30 42.3 23 30.7 46 36.5 138 41.7 23 47.9 

no good 4 5.6 5 6.7 16 12.7 20 6.0 1 2.1 

It is too big to carry easily 10 14.1 22 29.3 18 14.3 60 18.1 9 18.8 

too colory 1 1.4 1 1.3 - - 7 2.1 - - 

should be marked with valid 

period 

- - 1 1.3 1 0.8 1 0.3 - - 

Okay 11 15.5 10 13.3 24 19.1 48 14.5 10 20.8 

the longer package is the 

better 

The package material is not 

good 

8 11.3 2 2.7 5 4.0 11 3.3 2 4.2 

- - - - 1 0.8 1 0.3 - - 

Very strong 2 2.8 1 1.3 2 1.6 10 3.0 - - 

Elegant - - - - 3 2.4 1 0.3 - - 

should be changed to pink - - 2 2.7 1 0.8 1 2.1 

should be packed into several 

small packages 

1 1.4 1 1.3 4 3.2 3 0.9 1 2.1 

should have excitant design 2 2.8 1 1.3 - - 1 0.3 - - 

A little special - - - - - - 3 0.9 - - 

the color is not good - - - - 2 1.6 3 0.9 - - 

Hard to undo - - - - 1 0.8 2 0.6 - - 

????Package - - - - - - 1 0.3 - - 

too stiff 1 1.4 1 1.3 1 0.8 2 0.6 - - 

looks like being of high 

grade 

the outside color and the 

inside color should match 

- - 2 2.7 - - 7 2.1 - - 

- - - - 1 0.8 2 0.6 - - 

the green color is not good - - - - - - 1 0.3 - - 

don’t know 1 1.4 - - - - 4 1.2 - - 

Total 71 100.0 75 100.0 126 100.0 331 100.0 48 100.0 

Note: p≤0.01( comments on the inside package of Double-Butterfly Condom *service place) 




“Double-Butterfly” condom, by age 



the translucent is the better - - 1 .73 8 2.28 1 .77 2 5.17 

quite good 5 36.2 43 44.9 123 34.8 56 39.5 19 45.7 

No good 3 21.5 10 10.7 22 6.3 11 8.0 1 3.3 

It is too big to carry easily 1 11.1 13 13.6 82 23.1 26 18.2 7 16.6 

too colory - - 1 0.7 5 1.4 2 1.3 2 5.2 

should be marked with valid 

period 

- - - - 2 0.5 - - 3 6.4 

Okay 2 14.4 15 15.9 63 17.9 15 11.0 4 8.3 

the longer package is the 

better 

The package material is not 

good 

- - 4 4.6 11 3.2 7 5.2 3 7.7 

- - - - - - 1 1.0 - - 

very strong - - 5 5.1 5 1.3 5 3.9 - - 

Elegant - - 1 0.8 2 0.6 - - 1 1.7 

should be changed to pink 1 11.1 - - 4 1.2 1 0.5 - - 

should be packed into several 

small packages 

1 5.8 - - 3 1.0 3 1.8 - - 

should have excitant design - - - - 1 0.3 3 2.3 - - 

a little special - - - - 3 0.8 - - - - 

the color is not good - - - - 4 1.2 - - - - 

hard to undo - - - - 3 0.8 - - - - 

????Package - - - - - - - - - - 

too stiff - - - - 2 0.5 4 3.0 - - 

looks like being of high 

grade 

the outside color and the 

inside color should match 

- - 3 3.0 6 1.7 1 0.5 - - 

- - - - 1 0.2 2 1.5 - - 

the green color is not good - - - - - - 1 0.8 - - 

don’t know - - - - 3 0.9 1 0.8 - - 

Total 13 100.0 96 100.0 353 100.0 141 100.0 42 100.0 

Note p≤0.000( comments on the inside package of Double-Butterfly Condom *age) 


% 


Chapter 4. Summary 

Condoms are fairly readily available to this group of sex workers (most could access 

condoms within five minutes), who have definite preferences for qualities in condoms 

(lubricated, durable, flavored, elastic and branded), brands (True Man, Strong Man 

and Ausny top the list), price points (between 7-20 yuan for a 12 pack), and places for 

purchase (department stores topped the list). The sex workers provided useful 

feedback about the “Double Butterfly” condom (on the packaging, colors and other 

characteristics) and possibilities for marketing the condom. 

The following charts show these summary findings. 

???? Time to Closest Condom Outlet for Sexworker 

90 

??5?? Less than 5 min. 5—10?? 5-10 Min. 

11—20?? 21—30?? 

?????? ??? 

80 

70 

74.3 

81.8 

79.6 

69 

72.7 

76.5 

66.1 

60 

60 

60.2 

57.4 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

25.8 

27.7 

23.7 

21.5 

18.5 

20.3 

13.1 

13.6 14.2 13.5 

10.5 10.7 

10 

6.5 

7.6 

6.2 

5.6 6 

6.8 

1.8 

3 

0.9 

3.1 

4.4 4.7 4.5 

1.2 1 1.2 

1.7 

2.3 

1.1 0.8 

1 0 0 0 0 

0.9 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 

??1 ????1 ????2 ????3 ????4 ??2 ????5 ????6 ????7 ????8 

??? ? ?????? Preferred 

Characteristics of Condoms 

? ??? 

Lubricated 

???? 

Durable 

? ? ? 

Flavoured 

? ? ?? 

Elastic 

? ?? 

Branded 



? ? ?????? Favorite Condom Brands According 

to Sex Workers and Sales Outlets 

??? True Man ??? 

SW 

??? ??? 

Strong Man 

Sales outlet 

?? 

Ausny 

?? 

Durex 

? ? ? ??? 

Jissbon 

Lover in Heart??? 

? ? ? 

Durex 

?? Price Willing to Pay for Pack of 12 Condoms 

25 

?????? Max Price 

20 

20.4 

?????? Min Price 

21.5 

15 

10 

7.1 

7.8 

5 

0 

?? ?? 

Sichuan 

Yunnan 

???? ? ???? Sexworkers Top 5 Purchase Places 

for Condoms 

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

Door-to-Door 

?????? 

31 

Big Pharmacies 

37 

???? 

Medium Pharmacies 

18 

18 

????? 

Places often go 

16 

18 

?? Yunnan 

???? 

Sex Shop 

11 

13 

?? Sichuan 

?? 

Hospital 

12 

13 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 

% 



1 Peter Piot. 2001. Speech at the Opening of the National AIDS/STD Conference. Beijing, China, 

13 November 2001. www.unaids.org. 

2 Yu, Elena SH, Qiyi Xie, Konglai Zhang, Ping Lu, and Lillian L. Chan. 1996. “HIV Infection and 

AIDS in China: 1985 through 1994.” American Journal of Public Health. 86(8): 1116-1122. 

3 Ministry of Public Health, publication on 23 August 2001. 

4 Family Health International. 2000. Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS): Guidelines for 

Repeated Behavioral Surveys in Populations at Risk for HIV. Arlington, VA: Family Health 

International. 

5 www.fhi.org/en/aids/impact/bss/bss2.html. 

6 US $1 = RMB 8.27 (assessed on July 30, 2002).

“Double Butterfly” Condom - Futures Group

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