TAIPEI: A Taiwan university plans an international seminar this weekend, the first ever focusing on sex-related issues concerning Chinese people. The agenda will focus on sexual habits, sex education, homosexuality and sexuality of the elderly, the organizer said yesterday.

Some 160 sexologists and scholars, including 60 from the Chinese mainland, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the United States, will attend the First International Conference on Chinese Sexuality, which starts Friday at the Shu-Te University in Kaohsiung county in southern Taiwan.

During the four-day conference, participants will release three dozen papers and hold several workshops.

The papers will discuss various aspects of the sex life of Chinese people, including various sexual practices, homosexuality, masturbation among Chinese students, sexual harassment in school, and the changing Chinese attitude toward nudity.

Taiwan and mainland scholars will also hold a Sex Art Joint Exhibition, the university said on its website.

Sex has always been a taboo subject among Chinese, and some even hold that sex is harmful to health.

It is only in recent years that China has allowed open discussion of sex-related subjects and the launch of sex clinics.

DPA

(HK Edition 08/13/2009 page2)