One of the more difficult things to find when we first moved to China was deodorant. It is still only sold in shops that Westerners frequent. The vast majority of Chinese do not use deodorant. In fact, the Chinese believe that normal healthy people should not have body odor. Underarm odor is considered a disease in China. You will find ointments and creams at the pharmacy for treating and eradicating underarm smells.

In recent years, cosmetic companies have tried to sell deodorants to Chinese consumers. It took a long and hard advertising campaign to market the goods. Unlike in the West where deodorant ads focus on avoiding embarrassment, in China, the ads stress how fresh you will smell by applying it. One TV ad showed a beautiful young girl walking into a subway train. When she lifted her arm to hold the hand rail, a sweet fragrance permeated the train car. If you didn't know they were selling deodorant, you would've thought it was an ad for a new fragrance.

(selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)