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Cary Huang

The topic of sex is increasingly showing up in state media, which shows just how far press freedom has come on the mainland in recent years.
An open discussion of whether the sex trade should be legalised would have been unthinkable in party-controlled media a decade ago.
The issue came to the fore last week after Huang Haibo, a 39-year-old actor best known for his "nice everyman" roles, was arrested in a Beijing hotel for allegedly soliciting prostitutes.
Huang wasn't charged but confessed to his involvement and would be held for 15 days, police said.
The news led to a surprising outpouring of sympathy on social media, with some people saying he should not be too closely scrutinised for his actions.
The Communist Party is puritanical about sex, although the actions of some top officials suggest otherwise. The party's mores combined with Chinese society's, traditionally conservative attitudes towards sex, worked to make prostitution off-limits for public discussion.
But it became a national discussion after the crackdown in China's "sin city" - Dongguan in Guangdong. A report by China Central Television on February 10 accused Dongguan authorities of allowing a massive sex industry to flourish in the struggling manufacturing hub's hotels and bathhouses. Hundreds of people were arrested, and several top police officials were suspended or removed from duty.
News of the raid was met with online comments like "Dongguan, hang in there" and "the public has your back". A nationwide debate on legalising prostitution ensued.
Huang's detention pushed the topic back into the spotlight, and on to the newspapers and websites of state-run media.
A commentary on the news website of People's Daily, the party's mouthpiece, criticised Huang for his behaviour, saying that as a public figure the actor should set a good example for young people.
Xinhua said Huang "should mind his image and keep himself away from anything immoral". But the Procuratoraorial Daily, among many other state media, questioned whether police acted correctly in exposing Huang's identity. "It raised the question of whether police violated related law and regulations on the protection of one's privacy," said a signed article in the newspaper, which is affiliated with the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
Although some of Huang's fans felt deceived, saying the actor's actions were at odds with the reputation he had built for himself, others expressed sympathy.
Some asked: "What is wrong with Huang visiting a prostitute as many officials do?" They also said: "Huang is single and does not have a girlfriend. The incident does not mean he is morally defective."
Some argued that Huang avoided using his status or influence to lure women into bed, while many officials were guilty of doing exactly that. "That is fair play, and what else do we expect of an actor?" one asked.
Huang has more than five million followers on Weibo. Major news websites asked readers how they felt about the matter. On average about 80 per cent of respondents said they supported Huang or were sympathetic. The remainder said they felt Huang's "good man" image has been ruined.
The incident involving Huang points to sharply divided opinions among Chinese about prostitution. That in itself marks significant progress in social attitudes towards an issue so long seen as a taboo.
The discussion has triggered increasingly loud calls for the government to take measures to protect the rights of both prostitutes and their clients.
Of even more interest and significance is that the issue is being debated with divergent views in state-run media, even under "unified" party censorship.
cary.huang@scmp.com


Previously taboo debate about prostitution emerges in state media after actor's arrest

Actor Huang Haibo was arrested in a Beijing hotel for allegedly soliciting prostitutes. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion

That opinion on sex trade is divided may be no surprise; what's remarkable is that it is discussed at all in the puritanical state media


The topic of sex is increasingly showing up in state media, which shows just how far press freedom has come on the mainland in recent years.


Previously taboo debate about prostitution emerges in state media after actor's arrest

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}That opinion on sex trade is divided may be no surprise; what's remarkable is that it is discussed at all in the puritanical state media

That opinion on sex trade is divided may be no surprise; what's remarkable is that it is discussed at all in the puritanical state media