(9-96) I recently ran across an interesting article about sex liberation in Taiwan. It began in 1992 when the first Chinese edition of Kinsey's report published in Taiwan. l994, young women, mostly college students, took their slogan "I want orgasm, don't want harassment." to the streets. Sex talk shows sprouted on TV. Adult movies were shown and discussed on college campuses. A woman in her 50's had a daughter participated in the street demonstration. She said: "What happened? I know the society is changing. But this...This belongs to a couple behind the door. And to show it on TV. And marching on the street. We are not foreigners..."

The society is changing fast. Motels with special hourly rate are every where. A private eye claimed that since the new motel opened half year ago around the corner, she had to go there to catch the love birds every month. The highest record so far was 13 cases in a month. "It's good money." she said: "$3000.00 US. dollars per case." According to a study, 70% of the male with a marriage longer than 10 years are having affairs. Women are changing too. Twenty years ago, there were 5% of the women who were not virgins before marriage, now it's 30%.

However, the society at large is still conservative. Twenty thousand questionnaires were sent for a sex survey. Only two hundred were returned. Many women who had sex before marriage said they were sorry that they disappointed their parents. The traditional idea still exists that if a physical contact is made, the man wins, and the woman loses. The double standard still exists: it's OK for a man to have affairs, but a woman has to keep her chastity. A 60 year old businessman said: "Businessmen are not comparing how much money they have. They are comparing their girl friends; see whose girl friend is younger and prettier."

It all seems pretty innocent so far. I just wish as the Chinese women following the footsteps of the women in the West that they will look back at their own culture and see what their culture in the past can offer.