In urban China, disposable diapers are sign of success

SHANGHAI, China -- For many tourists, one of the indelible images of China may be that of the baby wearing pants with a hole on the bottom.

If their timing is right, the tourists might even catch a toddler relieving himself, right on the street.

Visitors may find this disgusting, or amusing, but they may not see such sights much longer, at least in the cities. China's famous split pants may soon be eclipsed by the disposable diaper.

Urban consumers are embracing the diaper and turning China into one of the world's fastest-growing markets. Annual sales for some brands are climbing by 50 percent or more. Upscale stores are no longer carrying split-pants outfits, but rather shelf after shelf of diapers. Just about all of the babies who grace China's sleek parenting magazines are wearing diapers.

Split pants are still the norm in rural China and are fairly easy to spot in cities, especially when the weather is brutishly hot. But the diaper is fast becoming a litmus test of cultural and social change, separating the haves from the have-nots, the city from the countryside.

"Split pants? That's so old-fashioned!" said Annie Cao, who was shopping at a department store here with her 2-year-old daughter, Celine. "It's not hygienic. It's bad for the environment. Only poor people who live on farms wear them."

Celine, naturally, wore diapers before she was toilet-trained. But when Cao, 37, was asked what she herself wore during infancy, she paused, then smiled. "I don't remember. Maybe the split pants."

To many parents, split pants have been a good way to avoid washing cloth diapers while providing a smidgen of toddler modesty.

These days, China's disposable diaper market is well beyond $200 million a year, and surging, particularly in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Kimberly-Clark, producers of Huggies, estimated that sales in the entire China market are growing by 20 percent to 40 percent each year.

Procter & Gamble said its annual sales of Pampers, introduced in China in 1998, are growing by more than 50 percent annually. Its own research indicates that 50 percent of babies in Shanghai now wear diapers during the day, and 90 percent at night.

"Pampers promotes overnight dryness, and it helps baby to have a good night's sleep," said Yvonne Pei, associate director of external relations for Procter & Gamble in China. "If baby doesn't have good sleep, baby doesn't have good mental development."

Unicharm, a Japanese company that produces the popular Mamy Poko brand of disposable diaper, stated in its 2002 annual report that it intended to invest in a new plant in Shanghai to manufacture diapers.

About a dozen domestic companies now distribute diapers widely, too. One Shanghai company, Goodbaby, started selling diapers in 1998, and later added a toll-free information line. Typical questions include: how do I change a diaper? and, how long should a baby wear a diaper before a change?

"We are trying to change people's thinking about diapers," said Tang Xiaoyun, a sales and marketing assistant for Goodbaby. "Some people, especially farmers, may think they are too wasteful."

Or too expensive. Though diapers are generally slightly cheaper here than in the United States, the average cost of about 15 cents to 20 cents each remains unaffordable for many Chinese. In the first half of this year, the per capita income of urban residents was $520, while rural incomes were $139.

Some people still swear by split pants. One mother from Zhejiang, who was watching her child frolic on a commercial plaza, said split pants were more comfortable for the children and helped prevent diaper rash.

Dai Yuhua, 33, who runs a fruit store, said, though, that when her first child, now age 11, was a toddler, Dai did not know that disposable diapers existed. But now, with her 1-year-old, she uses the split pants only on unbearably hot days.

It is hard to escape the cascade of images and talk about diapering, on television, in newspapers, in flashy new magazines such as Mom Baby or on Web sites like baby.sina.com.cn.

Since May, Pampers has organized twice-monthly promotions at a Carrefour department store here. At the most recent session, Pampers' official mascot in China -- a diapered blue elephant named "Bang Bang," or "Help Help" -- played with children and touted special deals. (Not to be outdone, Huggies had a promotion, too, offering free baby food.)

But Bang Bang was preaching to the converted. Not a single child with split pants could be spotted in the store, or on the surrounding streets, even though the mercury was flirting with 100 degrees.

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