"Second-hand Fragrance" rejected in public places

henry2000888

\"Second-hand fragrance\" is perfume that is so strong that it makes other people around feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is disliked in public places like second-hand smoke.

\"I just can't breathe amid those heavy scents\", said Chen Rong, a customer service representative of a foreign trade company. Her company took part in the 101st China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in April in southern China's city of Guangzhou.
Chen said during the 10-day event, she had to talk with scores of foreign businessmen everyday. \"The heavy perfume they were wearing made me sick!\" she complained.

Many feel the same way as Chen. Xu Yi, an advertisement mastermind also from Guangzhou, even compared second-hand fragrance with chemical weapons.

\"The other day in the subway, I was almost knocked down by the overwhelming smell,\" he lashed.

As wearing perfume is becoming a fashion in the southern Metropolis, many people in Guangzhou are calling for a restriction on the use of heavy fragrances in public.

Professor Gou Lijun, an etiquette expert from Jinan University says that wearing perfume is a way to show one's respect for other people, however, overwhelming fragrance will just do the opposite.

And what makes things worse is that the \"second-hand fragrance\" may actually make people ill. Doctor Zhang Yanan works in the infectious department of a local hospital. Zhang says that there are some people who are allergic to perfume. They may feel giddy and struggle to breathe if they are subjected to the overwhelming smell for a long time.

In western countries, \"second-hand fragrance\" has been deemed a source of air pollution for a long time.

The Canadian city of Halifax launched a \"no-scent encouragement program\" in 1996, urging people not to wear fragrances to help reduce illness and discomfort.

In Paris, some big enterprises have enforced bans on the use of heavy perfume during work time.

In Guangzhou local authorities so far have no plans to restrict fragrance use in civic areas.

(CRI)
\"二手香\"指的是香味过浓，让周围人觉得不舒服的香水。因此，在公共场合，\"二手香\"就像二手烟一样惹人生厌。

在一家外贸公司做客服代表的陈蓉说，\"那么浓的香味熏得我无法呼吸。\"她所在的公司参加了4月份在广州举办的\"第101届中国进出口商品交易会（广交会）\"。

陈蓉说，在那10天里，她每天要和上百名外国商人交谈。\"他们身上浓烈的香水味让我感觉恶心！\"她抱怨道。

许多人都跟陈蓉有同感。同样在广州工作的广告策划人徐毅甚至把\"二手香\"比作化学武器。

他说，\"前几天，我差点被地铁里弥漫的香水味熏倒。\"

由于擦香水逐渐成为广州这个南方大都市的时尚潮流，许多人要求限制人们在公共场合使用刺鼻的香水。

暨南大学礼仪专家勾利军教授说，擦香水是尊重对方的一种方式，但是，擦得过浓就适得其反了。

更糟糕的是，\"二手香\"会导致众人身体不适。广州当地一家医院的传染科医生张亚男说，有的人对香水过敏。过敏者如果过久地待在浓烈的香味中，会感到头晕、甚至呼吸困难。

在西方一些国家，\"二手香\"早就被视为空气污染源之一。

加拿大城市哈利法克斯在1996年推出了一项\"无香活动\"，要求人们通过不擦香水来减少生病和身体不适的几率。

巴黎的一些大型企业禁止员工在上班时间使用味道浓烈的香水。

目前，广州有关部门还没有禁止在市区使用香水的计划。


（实习生江巍 英语点津陈蓓编辑）







Vocabulary:  

verbal misstep: 口误

sheepishly: 羞怯地