Prudes beware, the Shanghai International Exhibition Center should be avoided this week by anyone offended by sex toys, flavored condoms or a little naughty lingerie. 

Manufacturers, professional buyers and people looking to add a little spark to their sex lives swarmed to the Second China International Adult Toys and Reproductive Health Exhibition when it opened yesterday.

About 100 domestic and foreign companies that deal in sex-related products are taking part in the erotic expo, which was set up to develop the industry in China, a country that is already the biggest producer of such devices.

While China is also the biggest buyer of sex aids in the world, the country's conservative attitude toward sex means sales on a per capita basis still have large room for growth.

Last year's fair attracted more than 20,000 visitors including 2,000 industry insiders. More than 7,000 people took in opening yesterday, leading organizers to predict the number of visitors this year will jump 30 to 40 percent from last year.

Germany's venus International Fachmesse was brought in to help the China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation organize this year's event.

"We want to introduce more international manufacturers and buyers to China and help more Chinese companies go abroad. CIEC also wants to make the expo more professional and influential through the cooperation," said Peter Buebel from Venus, the biggest adult fair organizer in Germany. "Asia is expected to become a major sex-product market in the next five years."

According to the China Sex Health Commission, sales of sex products in China exceeded 100 billion yuan (US$12.33 billion) in 2003, a number that is expected to grow by 30 percent annually.

"I visited last year's fair and will participate this year. I am very surprised that many people expressed interest in our products and some 2,000 brochures were distributed (yesterday)," said Oliver Redschlag of Joy-division, a German manufacturer.

(Shanghai Daily August 1, 2005)