Drinking all the tea in China has its consequences; just ask anyone standing in line at the Foshan train station right around the Chinese New Year. The sale of adult diapers in this Guangdong city rises about 50% during the holiday's peak travel time. Foshan is a major city in southern China's industrial Guangdong province. The province's burgeoning cities host about 10 million of the nation's 120 million migrant workers.

This reported seasonal increase in adult diaper sales reflects an uncomfortable practicality forced upon Foshan's travelers. It is not uncommon to wait two days in line to purchase tickets just prior to the Spring Festival season. Some are able to swap off with friends standing in line, others are not so lucky. Compounding the stresses of the situation, the number of train tickets sold during this period are twice the number of actual seats aboard, making for one of the most squished travel experiences going.

Most of the migrant workers are laden with purchases and presents for their families living in far off rural areas. Once the train pulls out of the station, many will have a 24 hour or longer journey. Every nook and cranny, from overhead luggage bins to restroom cubicles, is crammed with people trying to secure a tiny space for the trip home to their expectant relatives. So for most, getting to use a restroom for its intended purpose is pretty much impossible.

With the sale of adult diapers in China more than doubling in the past 10 years, it would be interesting to know how this seasonal travel phenomenon has helped shape that statistic. Of course it would be difficult to correlate the number of holiday diaper sales to an exact headcount of users. No doubt, when considering the economy of scale, travel companions, roomies and factory dorm neighbors split the cost of their packs of diapers, possibly buying two or more each, keeping the return trip in mind.

Right in step with these consumers' practical approach to the adult diaper scene, Chinese marketers don't mess around when naming their incontinence products. The brand name "Dr. P" has a refreshing directness to it when compared with the euphemistic labels stamped on the crinkly packages on American drugstore shelves.

You can read more about this Chinese phenomenon here.