FreeCondom is Beijing’s newest hit app – financed and launched by the National Population and Family Planning Research Institute. As a sexual health initiative, FreeCondom does exactly what the name implies: offers a selection of free condoms. Users can select up to three packs (each holding ten condoms) delivered once every two months for a 1-2 RMB delivery fee.
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Last week The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a circular in which they placed a ban on television and radio advertisements related to sex. Basically, SARFT wants television channels to broadcast less sex-related advertising and more ads geared to public health and service. More about SARFT’s ban on China Daily.
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Jimmy is a 24 year-old Shanghainese who just got married. Marrying at this young age is uncommon in Shanghai – his career is just starting and most of his friends are still single. We asked Jimmy to give us his perspective on sex, marriage and gender dynamics.

TBG: What do you and your wife think of premarital sex?

Jimmy: We actually had sex for the first time one week after we started dating exclusively, but it was not what I had intended to do. I accompanied her one night for her CET4 (College English Test 4). I told myself – and her – that nothing would happen. We talked about our past and then naturally, it happened. We had a serious talk afterward. Because we love each other, we didn’t feel bad or guilty. We agree that sex is one of life’s desserts, but not a necessity.
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On October 6, news spread quickly about “a new 3D SNS to communicate your ‘other side’.” A promotional video, called “The Most Beautiful Devil Ever,” features an attractive young woman dressed in white coming home and transforming into a sexy devil. As she walks towards the screen in black lingerie, an eerie male voice whispers, “Are you human [Ren] or devil [Mo]? Let people know your other side.” The tagline used in the campaign employs a pun on “Renren,” the leading Chinese SNS, “When Renmo’s on, everybody [Renren] trembles.”
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We are looking forward to a more research-focused “sex talk” put forth in Dr. Katrien Jacobs’ new book “People’s Pornography: Sex and Surveillance on the Chinese Internet,” set for publication in December. In the book, Jacobs, a professor of Cultural Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, offers examples and analysis into China’s tense stance on sexuality. She goes beyond what is taboo to get behind the scenes perspectives on online pornography, including the development of DIY sexual content (images and videos being posted by amateurs).

In our own research, we have run into a pornography community called Caoliu Shequ, a place where people in China have free access to pornographic videos, pictures, comics, and stories. People who have been there leave the comment “1024″ to express their gratitude and respect for the posters instead of a “mark” (1G which equals 1024MB and also is pronounced as class A or super good in Chinese). The URL of this website has been changed often to hide from surveillance teams, but netizens always have a way to find it. This BBS (or we can regard it as an online secret community) has developed a reputation as an educational resource for curious youth.
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Poster of the Chinese spin-offs Runaway Sweetheart

The American TV show Gossip Girl is currently in its fifth season and has become known for its fashion, affluent Upper East side Manhattan lifestyles, and sexual scandals. The show’s popularity in China has led to Chinese spin-offs such as Runaway Sweetheart, which has been nicknamed the Chinese Gossip Girl (although with watered down plot lines).

The “real” Chinese version will debut next summer, a production led by Metan Development Group, but there are concerns about the show’s content cross over into China. Adapting the highly sexual American version to fit into Chinese culture will be a risky and cautious task. Josh Schwartz, creator of the American show, admits that the Chinese version will have to be censored and toned down quite a bit. But, regardless of the uncertainty of the Chinese version’s popularity (and questionable amount of sexuality), Schwartz remains enthusiastic and confident it will be a hit.

From the article on New York Post:
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Recently, a commercial promoting a diary supposedly written by “V” (indicating vagina, “小V日记” in Chinese) caught our attention. Viewers on video sharing sites note that there is barely a product image or brand name shown in the advertisement – until you perform a search online. Which we did. What we found was a small booklet published by personal care brand Johnson & Johnson to share knowledge about gynecological health. The book is thirty pages long and covers sexual health in a friendly way with articles covering friendship, fashion, traveling, fitness, love – and sex. Little V’s Diary is free and available both on and offline. Check out the mini-site. (See the video below)

The campaign is an interesting step by a brand to add information to a topic that is mostly ignored for fear of embarassment. While young people are certainly engaging in sex, formal education is still minimal. Despite some pilot programs being launched in schools, youth’s primary resources are still word of mouth from friends and online.