A 120,000-word book on sex, written by a 21-year-old Chinese female college student, is already making waves all over the country. And the book hasn't yet been published.

 

The writer's qualifications for a book on sex have been called into question by many. Although she has a boyfriend she remains a virgin. But some scholars are encouraging her initiative in a country where sex remains "taboo" in education.

 

Wang Ji, a journalism major at Guizhou University for Nationalities in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has spent 18 months producing the words for the book. Writing in a lively manner, unlike school text books, she deals with a whole range of "taboos" like internet sex partners, one night stands, venereal disease and romance between students and teachers. However, the book's publishers are said to have cut a section about selection of electric sex toys.

 

The author recommends that young people masturbate to deal with sexual frustration, gives advice on how to deal with the trauma of abortion and how to come to terms with the emotional and psychological consequences of having sex for the first time. "I just want to help my peers know more about sex in a healthy way," said Wang Ji.

 

The book has a rose-colored cover and is titled The Rose Document: Teach Yourself Sex.

 

"At the beginning I was simply planning to collect some sex knowledge to help out a girlfriend who'd just aborted in high school," Wang Ji said. "Both of us were frightened and upset by the fate of the little living thing and the sight of the cold medical equipment covered in blood. Then I started to read books about sex," she explained.

 

Like many of her peers Wang Ji was frustrated by the fact that most sex educators didn't speak plainly in their text books or in the classroom. Books and articles on sex, when she could lay her hands on them, were overly scientific, dry and boring. "That's why many of my peers just learn from practice and adult movies," she said.

 

Wang Ji decided to write something that young people would want to read. "I simply wrote one chapter after another and to my surprise many schoolmates and even teachers began to wait for my next chapter."

 

"Now I have printed two copies of 100 pages each. My schoolmates have copied them and they're being passed from one dormitory to another," she said. Some copies have traveled to other provinces, Wang Ji explained.

 

A publisher based in east China's Jiangsu Province realized that Wang's writing was very different from other sex education books. Believing that it would be a big help to young people they decided to publish it.

 

Wang Ji began a blog on January 15 this year posting some of her ideas and interview notes. The blog has been visited by over 420,000 netizens. Her views about sex and notes from the interviews with the girl who had an abortion are followed by thousands of postings. Some of them are friendly, even encouraging and others critical and quite vicious.

 

"Many people ask what sexual experiences I've had. They ask how a virgin can educate Chinese youth about sex," Wang Ji said. "My response is that many parents who have plenty of sexual experience are hopeless as sex educators. Sex workers have lots of experience. Should they be the ones to teach?" she responded.

 

"The so-called experts don't know what we want to learn. Sex education is largely ignored in schools and universities and the brief introductions about procreation are too childish to read," said Wang Wei, another journalism major at Guizhou University for Nationalities.

 

"I want my book to be sincere and practical," said Wang Ji. She got students to fill out questionnaires so she could better understand their ideas, experiences and questions.

 

Of the 100 respondents 85 percent said they'd not received any real sex education. More than half of them wanted to learn about lovemaking, over 60 percent wished to understand sexual desire and over 70 percent had questions about how to deal with their relationships on a day-to-day basis.

 

To give credence to her findings Wang Ji interviewed experts, doctors and students and managed to find time despite her busy college life to carry out research in libraries and online. When her father heard that his daughter was planning to publish a book on sex he called her grandmother and said, "Stop her, don't let her lose face".

 

Some teachers and schoolmates think she must have had many sexual experiences and partners. Wang Ji was upset when one of her respected older schoolmates posted a comment on the internet asking her to abandon the project and saying that she'd have difficulties finding a husband.

 

"I don't see why I can't get married just because I wrote a book," Wang Ji said. "There are far too many prejudices about a girl writing about sex. I've never thought of sex as a dirty thing. I don't advise people to be promiscuous but I also think it's a mistake to be too conservative."

 

Wang Ji has a plan for her own life. She doesn't want to be a mother before she's 25 and doesn't wish to get married before 28. Wang Ji says she'll try not to have sex before she's married.

 

"Take masturbation for example. I encourage my boyfriend to masturbate because it's a good way to release sexual tension," said Wang. She often talks to him about sex. But he's not offered her much support with the book.

 

"It's a significant development in Chinese sex education and it's great to see a junior college student trying to help her peers," said professor Hu Peicheng, director of the psychology department of Peking University and deputy administrative chairman and secretary general of the China Sexology Association.

 

Although Wang Ji's book isn't professional from an expert perspective her views are clearly expressed which is the most important thing, Hu said. However, the burden of sex education shouldn't fall on Wang Ji's shoulders alone. The book is an invitation for sex educators and peers to discuss sex, said Hu.

 

"The sexual problems and feelings of young people deserve more attention from sex educators. The book is informative and fills a gap in the market," said Kui Chao, senior director of the publishing company.

 

"I hope that one day sex education will be as natural in China as maths and Chinese characters," said Wang Ji.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2007)