On December 14, 2006, the International Herald Tribune asked, “What’s the most rapidly growing industry in China today? The phone? Computer components? Toys? No, it’s the prostitution industry.” [1] Compared to ancient times, when holding hands in public was rare and would cause criticism, today the openness toward sex in China represents a major historic change. "One-night stand hotels” have mushroomed in the university areas of Beijing. The new doctrine of “All for money,” has become the norm in China, giving prostitution’s development a great boost. It seems that what is brewing in China is a wave of sexual degeneration, a revolution that is destroying traditional morality and standards of behavior. Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) says it will crack down on pornographic websites, even the Chinese official media website, Xinhuanet, displays photos of the “2006 top 10 hottest female stars,” “rare sexy men,” etc. Below is the translation of a report from Taiwan’s China Times [2]

Sexual liberation, an hourly-room is difficult to book

Every weekend, energetic university lovers follow a familiar path, passing skillfully through restaurants and cafes, coming to the cheap hotels with dimmed lights, ready to enjoy 3 hours of private time. The hotels are only 10 minutes away from the schools. The facilities are not luxurious but very clean. If they are not booked ahead of time, it is hard to find a room.

The cheap hotel rooms near the universities have sprouted like mushrooms. They are the symbol of the sexual revolution in China. According to a report by the Associated Press, the university students’ open-mindedness toward the traditional concept of sex means that the Mao era’s abstinence has collapsed. However, the liberation does not mean you can talk about it loudly; the political ideology has not lifted the ban on sex. Sex can only be discussed in private areas or among close friends. This has caused a lot of problems in society.

An increase in premarital sex and a rise in late marriages

Chinese young people’s attitude towards sex is in a period of change. In Beijing’s famous Chili Bar, the 20-year old manager agrees that today, young girls’ attitudes towards sex are very arbitrary. They often change their boyfriends, and love does not result in marriage. A 23-year old golf coach with the nick name “tank” said directly, “If two people really love each other, time does not matter.” Every night, the bars famous for one-night relations are filled with men and women looking for no-responsibility, no-burden love.
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The new openness has caused a booming business in cheap hotels that advertise “hourly-rooms,” and “part-time rooms.” In a survey, a social sciences researcher from the Chinese Academy, Li Yinhe, found that premarital sex in China is showing a stable upward trend. From 1989, when it was at 15%, it has jumped to 70%. Premarital sex has also led to the late marriage phenomenon. Last year the average marriage age for men in Shanghai was 31, 5 years older than the traditional age of 26-year-old.

The huge gap about discussing sex

There is a serious gap between the open-mindedness about sex in practice and lack of sex education in schools, which results in social problems. For example, the schools only emphasize the danger of AIDS, but avoid talking about how to use contraceptives. The result, as official media has reported, is that during the two long national holidays on May 1st and October 1st, 80% of those having abortions in Shanghai hospitals were high school girls. As for cost of an abortion, the hospital’s formal price is 1,000 yuan, or about 4,400 yuan Taiwan NT. There are cheaper ones; the non-narcotic procedure only costs 400 yuan.

Deng Zhen, who lives in Beijing and works as a love consultant, related that every day he receives 15 to 20 calls for consultation, many of which are related to sex. The callers are mostly high school or college students. He even received a phone call from a 10-year-old girl. Prof. Li Yinhe says, “Chinese are shy when it comes to directly talking about sex, but without a direct discussion of sex, sex education is not complete.”

Endnotes:
[1] International Herald Tribune, December 14, 2006
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/14/news/letter.php?page=1
[2] China Times (Taiwan), 2008.03.03
http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,
110505+112008030300043,00.html