Fighting China’s Shame and Ignorance on Postpartum Incontinence


SHANGHAI — When Chen Lijun explains the damage giving birth can do to the body, the young women in her audience gasp. Unsatisfying sex, prolapsed organs, and an inability to hold in your pee aren’t exactly the sorts of things their mothers told them about. But, to her audience’s obvious relief, there are solutions, says Chen, a health instructor who specializes in the pelvic floor — the … Continue reading Fighting China’s Shame and Ignorance on Postpartum Incontinence

For China’s Disabled People, Sex is Still Taboo


BEIJING — A spinal tumor paralyzed Nie Shujie’s legs when she was little. Growing up, she never considered intimacy possible. Nie was ashamed of her own body and wouldn’t let herself think about sex. She was never rejected, but she also never gave anyone a chance. “I wasn’t sure whether I could or should have sex,” she says from her wheelchair. At an event for … Continue reading For China’s Disabled People, Sex is Still Taboo

The Shanghai Sex Shop Selling More Than Just Toys


SHANGHAI — With thousands of sex shops sprinkled throughout the city, another store opening its doors isn’t usually cause for queues. But on Pepper Love Store’s first day, word spread quickly via social media. Soon, a line snaked through the former French Concession, putting a smile on the face of Mao Yongyi, one of the shop’s six owners. “We probably became the hottest sex shop … Continue reading The Shanghai Sex Shop Selling More Than Just Toys

Sex Shops Win Popularity among Chinese Girls


Last year, one of my girlfriends bought me a present that I would never forget. It was wrapped with an adorable bag tagged the shop name Amy’s Bedroom. I unwrapped it quickly only to feel nothing but ashamed. It’s a pair of black knickers with a hole on the private part shaped like hot red lips. I had never seen such lingerie like that before. … Continue reading Sex Shops Win Popularity among Chinese Girls