China’s Liquidity Problems
No, this is not about economics.
On, my last trip flying out of Beijing, I’m going through security at Beijing International. If you’re traveling to the US, you first have to go through one of the four special “US security” scanners, so that you can be checked for the various US-specific threats, such as small amounts of liquid. Then, since you’re allowed to co-mingle with other travelers after being checked, you get checked for liquids again at the gate. They’ll take your drinks, even empty water bottles.
As my bag is being searched at the gate, the security guard finds my 2.7 ounce deodorant stick. He holds it up, tells me it’s a liquid, and is about to confiscate it, when I point out to him that he’s made a mistake and that it is not in fact a liquid. He says, “No it IS a liquid.” I then take the stick from his hand and point to the lettering which reads “Solid Antiperspirant” in several places. He looks at it again, then looks at me and says, “Sorry sir, this is a liquid and I have to take it.”
I quickly weighed the value of a deodorant stick versus the potential of having to spend time in a Chinese jail for arguing with airport security. Decision made, I smile and tell him he can have it. He smiles back and instructs me to close up my suitcase and proceed onto the plane.
He didn’t bother taking my shaving cream, toothpaste, or mouthwash, which were arguably more liquidy than a SOLID deodorant. Perhaps the deodorant gray-market is on the rise in the streets of Beijing.