China "sex theme park" halted after public outcry

May 18, 2009, 10:08 GMT

   Beijing - Authorities in south-western China's Chongqing city have forced developers to abandon a 'sex theme park' following criticism that the planned exhibitions were too explicit, state media said on Monday.

   Visitors and viewers of online photographs called the park 'vulgar, ill-minded and misleading,' prompting city authorities to step in and order workers to demolish the buildings and exhibits prepared for project, the official China Daily and other media said.

   The manager, Lu Xiaoqing, said he wanted to promote sex education and 'harmonious sex' in a similar park to one in Jeju, South Korea.

   Lu reportedly prepared exhibitions on the history of sex, sexual health and sexual techniques, and giant sculptures of men, women, and male and female genitalia for the planned opening in October.

   Known in Chinese as the Sex Park, and apparently also using the English name Love Land, the park's sign was topped by giant sculpture of woman from the waist down wearing only a G-string and high heels.

   'We are building the park for the good of the public,' Lu said earlier.

   'Sex is a taboo subject in China but people really need to have more access to information about it,' he told state media last week.

   'I have found that the majority of people support my idea but I have to pay attention and not make the park look vulgar and nasty,' Lu said.

   But Chongqing authorities appear to have reacted quickly following last week's publicity, despite that fact that a few other small commercial parks with sex-related themes are allowed to operate in other areas of China.