Sex and the Citizen

Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng

Fùchéng Mén Nèi Dàjiē is home to what was China’s first ever sex shop, the Běijīng Adam and Eve Health Centre, although in the past decade these have become commonplace in many cities — more so even than in the West.

Sex as recreation is an idea to which the government is firmly opposed. In fact it barely acknowledges the existence of sex at all and has only in the past few years finally started to permit condom advertising and AIDS education. Otherwise it tries to suppress it where possible, and the ignorance in which the population as a whole was long kept has led only to fear of intimacy (‘But if you kiss me won’t I get pregnant?’) and the more rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Most of the products on sale here were Chinese herbal remedies that had never been scientifically tested and were more likely to lighten your wallet than heighten your desire.

Viagra has been a big hit in China and for a while became the number one ‘gift’ for increasing your guānxi and improving your chance of closing a business deal or getting official approval for it. So needless to say, Chinese medicines claiming to have the same effect appeared almost immediately in large numbers, one of them pirating Viagra’s Chinese name.

Clearly the imposter company’s guānxi wasn’t enough, however, as its ardour for market share was swiftly dampened by court action.

That still left many items with entertaining names, such as Sea Dog Pills and All Night Capsules, but now the shop is half its former size, has largely abandoned any pretence of being medicinal, and has gone more for the posing pouch and vibrator end of the market.

O tempora! O mores!

Next in West of the Imperial City: White Dagoba Temple
Previously: Temple of Ancient Monarchs
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.

For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.