You might need to reconsider that weekend orgy you were planning! An expert with the Shanghai Public Health Center revealed that AIDS is on the increase in Shanghai, during a forum at Fudan University yesterday. more ›

Chinese parents not comfortable with their kids learning everything about sex from the internet are now turning to specific sex education experts, who they feel offer a better grasp of the subject they themselves can deliver. Said one sex educationalist to China Daily: "Young Chinese parents are more open to sex, but their method of imparting sex education sometimes leads the children astray... The problem of sex education in China is not about a dearth of knowledge, but a lack of proper methods to spread the knowledge." Plus, not having to go through that embarrassing birds and the bees talk is priceless. more ›

Think "sex trade" and chances are male and transvestite sex workers rarely come to mind, though they're just as physically and legally at risk as their female counterparts. To rectify this, CNNGo brings attention to Shanghai Leyi, an organization dedicated to creating a better environment for male and transvestite sex workers. They provide everything from legal training and medical services, to advice on STDs and HIV prevention and free condoms. Founded in 2004, it's a young organization that has thankfully thrived, collaborating with UNAIDS to establish the China Sex Worker Organization Network Forum, and expanding its services to solo female sex workers working the streets, another vulnerable group paid little attention to by aid organizations. more ›

Yikes! Syphilis, a killer disease which was almost eliminated in the 1960's has returned with a startling vengeance. As state policy has shifted focus onto HIV/AIDs prevention, China has been left without a comprehensive public STI screening programme. Health expert Paul Causey also cites the issue of screening married gay and bisexual men, many of whom remain deeply closeted and hard to reach. In addition, a booming economy means "both businessmen and migrant labourers [have] more cash and opportunity to pay for unsafe sex while away from home" and this has led to the shocking rise of maternal syphilis in China. more ›

In China, paranoia is never too far away, but now an anxious bunch are not even letting medical diagnoses put their minds at rest. BBC News' Chris Hogg reported that hundreds of people in China believe they may have a "new disease with HIV-like symptoms", while doctors claim this is all in the mind. more ›

• Why China might turn on North Korea [CSMonitor] "China has long seen its national interests served by the status quo on the Korean Peninsula. According to a cold-war perspective about strategic balance and a post-cold-war emphasis on internal development, Beijing prioritized maintaining a buffer state and preventing North Korea's problems from spilling over China's border. While Beijing retains these priorities, the chances of it getting tough with Pyongyang are low. However, the China of today is not the China that came to Pyongyang's aid during the Korean War - its national identity has evolved over decades of rapid development and international integration. The ideas of communist solidarity and laying low to focus on modernization are becoming obsolete."
• Beijing Always Wins [NYTimes] "THE riots in the Xinjiang region, the home of China’s Muslim Uighur minority, will affirm to many analysts outside the country that social unrest is a direct threat to the continued rule of the Communist Party. If officials don’t take a long, hard look at how to avoid such uprisings, this argument will run, the government could eventually fall. If only Chinese officials saw things that way."
• Shenzhen Mayor Under Investigation [eChinacities] "Xu Zongheng(许宗衡), 54, was removed from his post as mayor of Shenzhen and is under investigation into allegations of corruption and graft that have stretched to include a former Olympic gymnast and several actresses. Xu became mayor of Shenzhen in 2005, advocating changes in the city’s bureaucracy. Many view Xu as partially responsible for the subsequent collapse of Shenzhen’s real estate market. The allegations revolve around bribes received for awarding government posts and bids."

Looks like China's first attempt at a sexually explicit theme park came a little before its time. After videos of its statue, a giant pair of leggy legs in a red thong spinning atop the park's name, were released to the internet - Chongqing officials demanded that LOVE LAND be torn down. Love Land had been set to open in October and was envisioned to be a path towards sex education and a way to help adults "enjoy a harmonious sex life." Unfortunately, it seems like much of the population just found it "vulgar" and overly-explicit instead. Source: NYTimes more ›