Going alfresco
The Imperial garden located within the heart of the Forbidden City tells of a time when the emperor of China would leave his chamber at night, accompanied by a favored concubine to delight in pleasures of the flesh. The Taoist concept wu wei served then as an ethical guideline for achieving an optimum state in nature. Having sex outdoors was therefore not only a pleasant choice for the emperor but a moral one as well.
The struggle for privacy for couples in Beijing today means wu wei is still a relevant concept, especially in the shrubs and trees around university campuses.
In November 2012, Professor Peng Xiaohui, deputy secretary-general of the World Association of Chinese Sexologists and a professor at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei Province, delivered a lecture calling on Chinese universities to provide special outdoor areas or "cuddle zones" for students to share intimacy away from peers and college authorities. Going alfresco at night is still first choice among many Chinese college kids weary of being monitored in their dorms.
Metropolitan spoke to a handful of students from the Communication University of China about their experiences and the potential benefits of Peng's proposal.
A female graduate student says cuddle zones risk distracting students from their work. However, she says she and her boyfriend have learned to adapt to the scant privacy dorm life offers. She says the workarounds have made sex exciting, a payoff of their risky approach.
"I have sex about twice a week, normally in my boyfriend's car. It's far more exciting than in a bedroom. We've also stopped using condoms for the time being. It feels much better without," she says.
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