The Chinese women emphasized their bodies were very hot following childbirth. Ye Ling, 33, from Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, said she constantly had xuhan, which is a Traditional Chinese Medicine term for a kind of perspiration not caused by external temperatures, but by an unbalanced inner heath (a little like the sweat during a fever). Despite feeling hot and sweaty, the women still did 
not shower or wash. "Of course, I wanted to wash,”explained Mrs Fang. "By the third week, I was so uncomfortable that I snuck into the bathroom to take a shower. However, my mother-in-law found me before I got wet, and she pulled me out. She wouldn't let me do it.”
Chen Suemeng, an overseas Chinese woman from Singapore, said, "This heat causes the pores to open, like when you're in a sauna. Therefore, it is easy to catch a chill if you're not careful.”Mrs Fang said,"This is why it's important not to wash your hair during the first month. You'll get headaches when you're old, if you do."
