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China Strips Down Sexual Mores

Sex education hasn't caught up

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 3, 2008 2:25 PM CST
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(Newser) – After years of Maoist repression, during which sex was considered bourgeois and hand-holding was a major taboo, Beijing is alive with seedy clubs and no-tell motels catering to one-night stands. Most Chinese—60% to 70%—have indulged in premarital sex, compared with just 15% in 1989. But lingering disapproval has kept the revolution largely underground, the AP reports.

Young people are still reluctant to say the word “sex” around anyone but their closest friends, and adults are uneasy discussing the topic. That means sex education is lagging badly. During school breaks, Shanghai abortion clinics get 80% of their business from high-school girls. "If you don't talk directly about sex, it's an incomplete sex education,” said one expert.

A young Chinese couple checks into a motel in Beijing, China, Sunday, June 17, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions on private life. But this revolution is taking place largely behind closed doors. The word...
A young Chinese couple checks into a motel in Beijing, China, Sunday, June 17, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions...   (Associated Press)
Patrons stand along a popular bar street in Beijing, China, Saturday, May 26, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions on private life. But this revolution is taking place largely behind closed doors. The word sex...
Patrons stand along a popular bar street in Beijing, China, Saturday, May 26, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions...   (Associated Press)
Patrons of a popular bar street dance in Beijing, China, Saturday, May 26, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions on private life. But this revolution is taking place largely behind closed doors. The word sex...
Patrons of a popular bar street dance in Beijing, China, Saturday, May 26, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions...   (Associated Press)
A pole dancer entertains patrons at a bar which hosts games meant to break the ice between strangers at the bar in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 12, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions on private...
A pole dancer entertains patrons at a bar which hosts games meant to break the ice between strangers at the bar in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 12, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution,...   (Associated Press)
A Chinese couple walks near a street known for its budget motels near a university in Beijing, China, Sunday, June 17, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity and a loosening of government restrictions on private life. But this revolution is taking...
A Chinese couple walks near a street known for its budget motels near a university in Beijing, China, Sunday, June 17, 2007. China is in the midst of a sexual revolution, a byproduct of rising prosperity...   (Associated Press)
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China • sex • sex education • safe sex • premarital sex • Maoism

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