A taboo for thousands of years

In China, there are neither national guidelines nor a national curriculum for school-based sex education, so related content is incorporated into health education, which is included in the curriculum for physical education and health.

In 2008, the Ministry of Education issued a set of health education guidelines for primary and middle schools, which contained some references to sex education. However, very few schools have introduced health education as part of their core curriculums.

Sex-related content may be included in other classes, such as biology, which mainly focuses on the physical differences between men and women, or in classes about moral character and life, which may simply discuss close relationships.