AN INTERNET-FUELLED sexual revolution is sweeping China. After some 30 years of repression, the anonymity of the internet is opening up new avenues for people to explore their sexuality. And it's getting awfully hot and steamy out there.
A survey carried out late last year by Netease, one of China's largest web portals, found that more than 30 per cent of respondents who admitted having had one-night stands arranged them online.
This followed an unusually frank report on the front page of the official People's Daily newspaper last June about sexual attitudes and practices in China. One point was clear: the internet has radically changed how people perceive, and have, sex.
Adult dating sites such as Asia Friend Finder (AFF) and sex-oriented chat rooms are allowing Chinese to search for love - or just sex - from the relative safety and anonymity of their homes, without the awkwardness of meeting people in bars, and far from the watchful eyes of friends, families and co-workers.
When Lili Tang (not her real name) moved to Shanghai from neighbouring Jiangsu in 2002 to work as a middle-school teacher, she soon found herself lonely and bored. Despite her best efforts, Tang says she had trouble making new friends. She yearned for excitement and intimacy - but was concerned by what her friends and co-workers might say.
'Maybe it's because I was born into a traditional family,' she says. 'But I worry about what others think. Sometimes, I like to be a little wild - and I prefer to find a guy who's removed from my 'real' life.'