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China do-over fact of the day, markets in everything minus one
Love Land, a sex theme park set to open this October in China won't have the chance to lose it's virginity. Chinese bureaucrats ordered the park destroyed after details of the park's featured attractions were leaked.
The story is here. The rest of the article relates:
The park was to have giant-sized reproductions of male and female anatomy, and offered lessons in safe sex and the proper use of condoms. There was also an exhibition about the history of sex, as well as workshops offering sex techniques.
The entrance to park featured a giant pair of women's legs clad only in a red thong. Those legs are now closed forever. Officials would only say that the concept of the park was vulgar, and deemed unnecessary. Bulldozers and wrecking ball were seen destroying the exhibits as onlookers tried to get a peak.
China considers the topic of sex taboo, even though illegal prostitution is at an all-time high in the country.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on May 21, 2009 at 02:35 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink
Comments
The democrats and republicans would both have that done here as well.
Posted by: Jay at May 21, 2009 2:47:07 PM
Now if this had been in Japan...
Posted by: Michael at May 21, 2009 3:09:34 PM
You'd think authoritarian regimes would actually encourage the construction of attractions such as this. You know "panem et circenses" and all that...
Posted by: Melvin at May 21, 2009 3:15:23 PM
China considers the topic of sex taboo, even though illegal prostitution is at an all-time high in the country.
"Even though" is perhaps not the wording they should have chosen; it's not like taboos about talking about sex keep down prostitution rates.
Posted by: Sigivald at May 21, 2009 3:51:41 PM
It is "panem et circenses". Social conservatives like having something to talk about, believe me. It happens in Southeast Asia as well. If the people are panicking over sex, they aren't panicking about corruption or the economy.
Posted by: david at May 21, 2009 3:53:52 PM
Seems like China especially would want to promote safe sex, taboo or not. Maybe they were afraid that making their citizens really good at sex might have the opposite effect....
Posted by: Elliott at May 21, 2009 3:55:18 PM
On the other hand, perhaps it was just banning exceptional poor taste.
Posted by: Chris at May 21, 2009 4:49:26 PM
Anyone who has been to China or visited Chinese internet or read Chinese newspapers knows sex is NOT a taboo in China. Quite the contrary. Stop the stereotyping please. And you think that theme park was really aimed at offering sex education? Wrong again. Why would any private business people be interested in doing that? I, for one, applaud the Chinese government's decision in this case.
Posted by: nameless at May 21, 2009 6:20:26 PM
If the local authorities had their act together, it would have been rather more efficient not to grant building permits for such a monstrosity in the first place.
Posted by: Mark D. at May 21, 2009 7:23:23 PM
Mark D, haven't you heard of fiscal stimulus? (admittedly, maybe another kind of stimulus was intended...)
Posted by: Leigh Caldwell at May 21, 2009 8:33:18 PM
I wonder, if the local officials found it so offensive, how it was built in the first place.
Posted by: Will at May 21, 2009 11:27:12 PM
@ Nameless, I don't believe anyone here is actually saying that sex is a taboo subject in China. In fact, I had no idea that sex as a taboo was a stereotype about Chinese people. My first thought when I meet someone from China isn't, "I bet that person especially doesn't want to talk about sex."
Rather, the questions are why was the park built, why was it allowed to be built, why was it torn down, and do any of the answers make sense IF we accept that sex is a taboo subject. You seem to have answers to some of these questions, please provide the real story if you think that this one incorrectly characterizes what actually happened.
Posted by: Elliott at May 22, 2009 9:40:51 AM
The history of sex?!?
Posted by: K T Cat at May 22, 2009 10:59:24 AM
A wax museum devoted to the history of sex, OK a pornographic wax museum, would work. The museum could be in a normal non-descript building and minors wouldn't be allowed admission. The problem with this park was probably that it was too vulgar.
Posted by: Ed at May 22, 2009 11:07:59 AM
the ultimate erectile disfunction
or is it premature demolition?
Posted by: mangy cat at May 22, 2009 2:35:10 PM
China and India consider sex taboo. Funny, they are also the countries with the largest population!
Posted by: VR at May 22, 2009 11:35:56 PM
India considering sex taboo is a relic of the British Raj. Before that period, the country was very open when it came to sex. The British military routinely had mistresses that took very good care of them sexually. Many officers did everything they could to delay their family coming over to remain with their Indian women. It was the British rule during Victorian times that changed the tenor on sex in the country.
Posted by: techreseller at May 26, 2009 11:06:05 AM
I think this can be a very cool theme park. If you see in from an educational angle, it shouldn't be vulgar.
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Posted by: TV stands at Nov 10, 2009 11:35:16 AM
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