8 out of 10 say there's no room for sex in this city
At least 28 per cent of Hongkongers have had or thought of having sex in public, according to a recent survey, with many citing cramped flats as the reason for an al fresco tryst.
At least 28 per cent of Hongkongers have had or thought of having sex in public, according to a recent survey.
Nearly 160 of the survey's 559 respondents said they had had or considered having sex in a public pool or at a beach. Parks, private cars, toilets, offices, schools and rooftops were high on the list of canoodling spots, which also included back alleys, churches and temples, hospitals and prisons.
The main reasons for having sex outside of home was heightened pleasure and spontaneity. A third of respondents explained they lived with family, and a fifth said their living space was too small. More than 80 per cent said there was not enough space for sex in the city.
"Sex needs space," said Ng Man-lun, vice-president of the Sex Education Association. He said he was not surprised by the results and that people arrested for having sex in public should be helped, not punished. "They don't have space at home to do it and they don't have the money to go to hotels," he said.
Ng said the city was a "concrete forest" that was not built for romance. "Even holding hands is not easy in Hong Kong with such narrow pavements," he said.
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with a population density of 6,620 people per square kilometre.
"In a crowded city like Hong Kong, people have very little space to have good sex ," Ng said, adding that the government should take sex and romance into account when building houses and parks.
Lan Kwai Fong was voted the most romantic part of the city, followed by outlying islands such as Cheung Chau and Lamma Island, and the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade.
The survey was conducted between March and August by the organisers of the Sex Cultural Festival, of which Ng is the founder. The sixth edition of the annual event, which is themed "Sex in the City", kicks off on Saturday.
The festival will host seven forums on sex and space in its first two days and seven sex-themed art exhibitions.
Ng and Equal Opportunities Commission chairman York Chow Yat-ngok will perform a duet at the opening ceremony. The song has been kept a secret.
The free event will run from October 26 to November 2 at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei. All activities will be in Cantonese.
