I have read that babies in China do not wear diapers, is that true?

It definitely depends on where the child lives. It also depends on how traditional the caretakers are. We lived in Xiamen (which is quite prosperous and Westernized) and saw lots of children in disposable diapers. We also saw children in split pants (even infants) who were trained to urinate on command (at the sound of a soft whistle by the caretaker). In Xiamen, they rarely urinated in the street--they were usually taken to a potty, or were taken over to a garden or behind a tree. However, in other (poorer) cities we visited, all of the babies and toddlers we saw were in split pants (diapers were way too expensive) and it was totally normal for them to relieve themselves in the street. I worked at a kindergarten, and I will say that all of the older toddlers who came to our school (1.5 and up) were totally toilet-trained before they came, which completely amazed me! It's not always a matter of economics as to whether or not a child in China wears disposable diapers. The English national news channel did a program on diapers when we lived there, and found that many traditional families (poor and rich alike) found disposable diapers to be constricting and dirty. They considered it much more sanitary for children to wear split pants and be cleaned immediately after each movement, rather than, um, sitting in it (sorry to be crude!). I thought that was interesting, as I had always considered it unsanitary NOT to put a diaper on a baby! Morgan