Love ban
Couples are facing a crackdown on any kind of physical intimacy at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, after a student murdered his girlfriend at the start of the term.
According to the local media, the woman was stabbed to death while she was alone in her room on campus.
A male student later turned himself in to police. Both were in the adult continuing-education programme.
The new rule is part of a campus-wide effort to weed out what university officials regard as improper behaviour.
A list of '11 improprieties' was published on the university's website last month, covering a range of behaviour, including class discipline, littering and relationships. Each student was also given a copy of the regulations.
According to the rules, couples are prohibited from kissing, hugging or holding hands on campus grounds.
The website says that the system was implemented to prepare teachers and students for an evaluation by members of the Central Ministry of Education, who are due to arrive next week.
While a range of social behaviour is covered, university officials have been particularly keen to weed out public displays of affection.
A patrol team, made up of students and teachers, has been assigned to report any breaches, most of which seem to involve amorous couples.
The university has also removed a number of stone benches from the banks of a river which runs through the centre of the campus. The tree-covered strip used to be a popular spot for couples. 'We can feel the pressure,' said one senior student.
That pressure has been building following the student's murder in September.
At the time, there was little reaction from the school, and while the incident did get some coverage in the press, it was limited.
Now however, instead of investing in counsellors to help other students deal with the tragedy, the university has chosen to issue draconian measures, which are at best a means of saving face in front of the Central Ministry of Education.
University officials would obviously rather spend their money on a new library and refurbished walkways to make the school look better before the education experts show up, than investing in the lives of the students who inhabit the campus.
