First of all may I thank you for taking my comments seriously and the well-argued response.

I like the colour red and it's cultural significance in China. In fact, I have chosen red accessories for my apartment, because it makes the basically white rooms look colourful. The large pot plants I have bought also add colour to the rather neutral setting. I was just relating this an experience I had when asked, on the spur of the moment, to write some comments, post-examination, on the students' achievements. I wrote in red as my black pen was running out of ink and the Dean told me this was improper in China. So by way of a feeble excuse, in reply to your post, I mentioned this. If this is not the case,or a generalised notion from an isolated example and I am wrong, accept my apologies unreservedly.

I also use red for marking student scripts but was told that I should not put a student's name in red.

I'm a little confused now - is this bad form or not? I would certainly not have a good laugh at anyone who had taken the time to craft a reply, even if our opinions or experiences differ.

Take care