World AIDS Day was on December 1, so this post is rather overdue. I took the camera out hoping to see buses with big red ribbons, as I did last year. 

No luck. But I did see these posters by a bus stop. 

The 1st poster is an advertisement for AIDS tests, by the Centre for Disease Control. The slogans are: 
-  Take the initiative to get tested 
-   Reduce worry
-   Control the spread 
-   Healthy life

The 2nd poster tells people that "using condoms greatly reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sex."

The main slogan is "Where there is safety, there is fun!"

There are some stats along the bottom. Including:
- In 2007, 56.9% of new HIV sufferers caught the disease through sex
- 0.5 million people don't know they are HIV+
- 70% of sufferers are aged between 20-39 years old
 

There was plenty of coverage on the TV. Here is a photo of a current affairs presenter on the news channel:

Before I came to Lanzhou, I had read two pretty depressing accounts of the place, both in Time magazine, which my dad used to post to me.

The first concerned pollution, the second drugs. I've travelled to the Dongxiang area south of Lanzhou several times, and am always reminded of the article.

Well, it certainly explains why you come across anti-drugs posters in the Hui muslim communities around Lanzhou (although the article claims that the addicts are mostly Han Chinese). Here is a selection.

"One person takes drugs and disaster befalls everyone"
The large character in the background is 毒 (dú), meaning drugs, and the smaller message on the right reads "yourself, family, community":

"Treasure your life: stay away from drugs"
The smaller message on the top right reads "For a happy life, under no circumstances get into drugs":

"Trying it once can destroy your life"
The person in the picture is holding 海洛因 (hăiluòyīn), meaning heroin:

"Save yourself from addiction"
A very loose translation of this pun, based on a Buddhist saying "苦海无边，回头是岸", meaning "On the endless sea of suffering, repent and be saved [lit. you can see the shore if you turn around]." The first character 苦 (kŭ) has been replaced by 毒 (dú) on the poster (the two words also sound alike). So, to translate more closely, the slogan on the poster could also be "On the endless sea of drugs, repent and be saved." Note also the 毒 in the background, which represents a grave, into which the addict is about to topple:

"Mobilize and participate in the people's anti-drugs campaign"
In the picture, poppies are being "eradicated":

"Don't let drugs into our homes":
The figures in the picture can often be seen on the door frames of people's homes (especially in the countryside), as a 'protect this house' gesture: 

"Drugs will be taken seriously: traffickers will be punished, manufacturers will be investigated, and users will be warned."
The photo shows the "consequences":

This anti-smoking advertisement is in an underpass at Nánguān Shízì (南关什字)

The cigarettes have been arranged to make the word 生命 (shēngmìng), which means 'life'.

The skull caption below reads: "It's my choice, I like it. What about you?"

There was an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in China earlier in the year.

This public information sign carries the slogan "Scientific knowledge can actively control and prevent hand, foot and mouth disease."

After you enter Xi Hu Park from the east gate, you pass through the "Legal Information Corridor" (法制宣传廊 lit. legal propaganda corridor).

To either side, there are public service information posters concerning laws, government services, and health. Here is a selection.

The 3 Stages of Civilised Spitting

1) Spit into a tissue, not on the floor
2) Wrap the tissue up, without spilling anything
3) Put it in the bin, don't just leave it anywhere

The Qilihe District city management law enforcement section reminds you:

For the sake of the city environment and everyone's health, please do not spit or litter

Information about the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons:

Safeguarding women's rights, and promoting gender equality:

Marriage, divorce, and adoption laws: