The 3rd Chinese Sex Culture Festival themed "Healthy and Harmonious Sex" opened in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on November 5. This annual festival has been held here since 2003.

The five-day festival, which includes exhibitions, a trade fair, forums, academic seminars, performances and quizzes, aims to popularize general sex awareness and knowledge, to educate people on how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases, and to promote academic communication and cooperation in this field of study.

"Holding this festival shows that the mainland is open and bold about sex," Xu Tianmin, president of the China Sexology Association, told China Daily during the opening ceremony.

According to statistics from Durex Global Surveys by Durex.com, a survey of more than 10,000 25-34-year-olds suggests that the age at which Chinese people first have sex has fallen from 22 in 2001 to 18 in 2005.

However, the survey found that one-third of those interviewed did not receive any sex education at school. Xu said that sex education has not kept pace with the country's increasingly open attitudes.

Xu also pointed out that the lack of sex education and ignorance of what it means to have safe sex are major reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"We hope people, especially young people, will find out more about healthy sex through this event," Xu said.

A lingerie fashion show and sex toy exhibition were two of the more eye-catching starts to the festival, which drew more than 50,000 visitors on the opening day.

A high school student surnamed Ouyang said his parents had accompanied him to the festival.

"I don't know much about sex and the festival has taught me a lot," he said.

Sexologists will chair forums on various subjects. Li Yinhe, an expert on homosexuality in China, will be giving a talk on the subject.

Zhang Feng, director of the Guangdong Sexology Association, said the two previous sex festivals in Guangzhou were a roaring success.

More cities in other parts of China are planning to hold similar festivals, Zhang added.

He said: "Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, will launch another sex festival soon."

(China Daily November 7, 2005)