An exhibition displaying historical Chinese sexual objects of worship and pleasure opened in a suburb of Beijing on Thursday in honor of Men's Health Day.
The Sex and Health Popular Science Exhibit, sponsored by the district government and Beijing Sexual Health Education and Research Association, takes up a nine-chamber hall and is bigger than last year's event, reported China News Service.
Since huge crowds caused the 2003 show to shut down, this year's is not open to the public but only to family planning specialists and their relatives.
Speaking at the launch of China's fifth Men's Health Day, medical experts called for men to take better care of their health and become more aware of family planning issues and HIV/AIDS prevention.
"Men are more reluctant than women to visit doctors or tell their families about health problems," said Zhao Yufeng, secretary general of China Population Culture Enhancement Association. "This is especially the case if the problem relates to the reproductive system."
Experts say mortality rates for those aged between 45 and 54 in China have doubled in the past 10 years, with the rate increasing by 73 percent in men compared to 15 percent in women.
"Male health has become a major problem due to the increasing pressures of modern life, which encourages an unhealthy lifestyle," said Qi Guangchong, vice president of the Traditional Chinese Medicaid Andrology Association.
According to a recent survey, about 52.5 percent of the male population above 40 suffer some form of erectile dysfunction and wait an average of 22 months before visiting a doctor about it. The waiting period is 30 months for Shanghai men.
"The city has introduced many male health services and is providing education on family planning and AIDS prevention," said Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission. "We have launched a 24-hour male reproductive health hot line and started education programs."
Condom use in the city also increased to 19.5 percent this year from 13.1 percent in 2000.
(Shanghai Daily, China Daily October 29, 2004)
