This postcard was recently distributed to free postcard racks in bars and restaurants around several Chinese cities.

On the front panel of the postcard is a black and white image: a small soldier is climbing to the top of an anti-aircraft gun's barrel, and looking up at a plane. The wording at the top is "If you shoot planes too often, will your barrel get blocked?"

"Shooting planes" is slang for masturbation.

The little line of text at the bottom is "Do you want to know the answer to this question?"

The answer is on the back panel: "Of course not; both men and women can masturbate. It is normal and does no harm".

The postcard is promotional material for a youth healthcare website (produced by Marie Stopes) about sexual and reproductive health. There is also a slogan from July 11 World Population Day: "We, 100 million youth, are eager to get respect and have the right to enjoy good health".

In China, youth sex education was banned for a long time. Even though most Chinese have become more open on this topic and sex education is now a part of many primary schools' curricula, many parents prefer that their children don't attend. So this type of postcard is likely to be an effective method of reaching Chinese youths who may not otherwise be exposed to this kind of information and attitude.

The campaign's website is here. Marie Stopes is here.

- Ben Marcom