Once regarded as "bold and open," Li Yinhe's views on sex, particularly topics such as "wife-swapping," got a frosty reception from experts at the fourth Guangzhou Sex Culture Expo.

 

Addressing last year's festival, Li, widely acclaimed as China's foremost female sociologist on sex issues, said wife swapping was a normal kind of entertainment and all couples should have the right to do it if they wanted to.

 

However, this year scholars and experts at a forum held in conjunction with the ongoing expo rejected her easy-going views.

 

"Wife swapping should not be promoted to the public as it will lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases," said Zhang Feng, director of the Guangdong Provincial Population and Family Planning Committee.

 

Zhang added that neither the sex forum nor the expo should provide a platform for advertising bold and "unacceptable" views to the public.

 

"These views should be discussed as academic issues rather than widely acceptable social issues," said Zhang.

 

Zhu Mingxi, deputy director of the Guangdong Sexology Association, said: "There is only a meager amount of couples who accept Li's views, as most people still have more traditional and moral attitudes about sex."

 

Themed "building moral sexual attitudes," the ongoing expo is designed to promote general sex awareness, knowledge, and academic discussion and co-operation in sex studies.

 

An exhibition organized as part of the expo includes ancient relics from museums around Guangdong Province.

 

The event drew more than 60,000 visitors to its first day on Saturday, 10,000 more than the last session's opening day.

 

Besides the exhibition, other highlights will include a special report on sexual health from Hu Peicheng, a psychologist and serologist from Peking University.

 

"As China is undergoing the so-called 'sexual revolution,' we are attaching great importance to promoting traditional moral ideas about sexuality," Duan told China Daily.

 

"China has a totally different attitude towards sex from many countries. We should not only promote a bold, open attitude, as in Western countries, but also preserve healthy, traditional views on sex," said Duan.

 

(China Daily November 6, 2006)